Kiba No Densetsu
by NeoShinigamiSama
Summary: Lost to time and those who fought to give him life. Found by those who give him love and fight to find him a place in the world. His tale is not one told lightly, for it tells a story of a child's life as he finds who he is. Reviews are welcomed.
1. Prologue

_**Nippon(Japan)**_

_**The Feudal Era**_

"Damn it all!"

There was a massive upheaval of ground as a grand blade struck and caused the earth to tear about while the shockwave ripped forward from the impact point. At least five waves surged forth at the black shadow, but even then, the howling energy winds failed to make any injury to the creature.

With his dog-like ears upon the top of his head, the white haired man wielding the massive fang-blade roared in anger before resuming his run. "How the hell could that thing survive the Wound of Wind like that!" he muttered while trying to catch up with his companions. Already, he could heard the infant cries of a child, which made him even more worried that he'd not been able to fight away the being that hunted them. Golden yellow eyes flashing to his sword, he leapt up just in time, for a mass of shadowy blades flared from the ground in attempt to impale him.

"You wann'a play rough!" he cried while turning about and bringing up his sword to aim at the black creature. "Fine! Let's see how you handle the full power of Tetsusaiga!"

Air billowed around the fang-blade even as the shadow rose into the air after the animalistic young man. It seemed to roar in sadistic delight as blades surged forward from its body, and a hollow voice came forth into the air. "_**You cannot kill hate itself, hanyou!**_"

"_Blast Dragon Wave!_"

The winds exploded roaring forth as a massive dragon-headed tornado. For a moment, the part-spirit man gave a smile as his foe appeared to be torn apart by the powerful attack that was the greatest power of the Tetsusaiga. Ground was reduced to a massive cloud of dust, and with the amount of debris that now clattered to the earth, the wave must have destroyed its target.

His smile vanished into a horrified gasp, however, as the shadow came forward out of the dust cloud and still came at him, body formed into uncountable amounts of blades. With a grunt, the _hanyou_ brought his sword about and fired off another wind blast, one that finally impacted against the shadow and caused it to fall back. "You can be hurt!" he cried even as he descended back down to the earth. The moment his feet touched ground, he was off again, sheathing his sword into the scabbard at his left side. There was a spark of light around the blade as it transformed into a normal katana, revealing even more to the uninformed of its powerful magic nature.

"_**Do you truly think that you,**_" came that same, cold and hollow voice. "_**You, who are filled with anger, can kill Hatred itself!**_"

He continued running, trying to ignore the shadowy creature. "I know that I've killed worse than you, demon!" he replied sharply. The shadow was quickly approaching again, and without the time to draw his sword, the _hanyou_ used the claws on his hands to lightly cut open the top of his left arm, and flung the blood out at the creature. "_Flying Blood Blade Claw!_"

With the cry and motion, the blood on his claws flew out as bright red blades, slamming into the shadow and again causing it to slow momentarily. The _hanyou_ took the chance to jump forward, spanning a distance of almost ten meters in a single leap. He wasn't far now from his own goal, but he could only hope that and those he hurried to met could escape in time.

There. Standing near an ancient well was his quarry. A young woman, looking about nineteen years of age, dressed in a silken _kimono_, waited for him. Fastened to a necklace around her neck was a glowing lilac jewel sphere, but there seemed to be a piece missing from it. In her arms was an infant, who bore the _hanyou_'s own white hair and doggish ears. The child, as he had thought, was the source of the cries. He smiled faintly while gently stroking the baby's head, then looked to the woman with concern. "Are you sure this is the only way?"

There were tears, he now saw, in her eyes, but she nodded. "He can't stay here with us," the young woman replied. Her eyes glanced to the sword, but the thought died even as it formed. "So long as he's in my time, _Ikari_ can't touch him, nor will the Jewel of Souls be complete."

"Meaning that the _youkai_ can't claim the power it truly grants," the _hanyou_ finished. He sighed, but knew that this was the only way to safeguard everything. "How do we know when he will end up?"

She shook her head. They both knew that, using the Jewel for this purpose, there was no way to know when their child would enter the other side of the well. It was all too possible that, because of the Jewel, he wouldn't even appear in the well, but somewhere else. It was a risk they had to take.

The roars pealed in the air, and the _hanyou_ quickly drew his sword even as the baby began to cry again. With a glance back to the child and the young woman, he growled. "We don't have much time!" he yelled. "Get him out of here!"

She hesitated, then nodded and vaulted over the side of the well. She could heard a painful scream from above, and then, there was only laughter. A cruel hollow laughter, and she knew that her beloved was dead. As the bottom of the well approached, a burst of light opened before them. She almost thought that she could survive herself to raise her son, but then, her arms opened as she felt something stab into her back. Her own descent ended, but her child continued and was engulfed by the opening in time, leaving him at least to be safe from the horror that hunted them.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, even as she was pulled back up out of the well and slammed to the ground. The last thing she saw was the cold empty eyes looking down at her, and then, nothing.

_**

* * *

**__**Seattle, Washington **_

1987

There was an odd silence in the night. The moon hung full in the sky, and not a single cloud dared to pass over it. Even then, it was seemingly peaceful.

But then, the streetlights flickered while a pin-point of light formed on the doorstep of a two-story house. The light expanded out, burning the white paint of the front door, then collapsed in to reveal the tightly wrapped bundle that was the white haired infant.

"What was that noise?"

The door opened, revealing a woman in her mid-twenties. She looked about, then heard the cries to look down and see the infant child. She bent down quickly, gently picked up the bundle, then looked about for any sign of who could have left this poor baby on their doorstep like this.

"Ryan!" she called while looking back into the house. "Ryan, come here!"

In response, a brunette man stepped over and looked down on the child. "What in the world?"

"Someone just left this baby on our doorstep," the woman replied. "Where do you think they went?"

The man narrowed his eyes as he felt the infant's ears, and gave a raised brow when he discovered that these ears were real. "What kind of baby is this?" he muttered while brushing aside the baby's hair to find there were no human ears where there should have been. "Dog ears on his head, no ears where they should be, and he appeared out of nowhere."

The woman nodded, then noticed the baby's eyes opening to reveal the large sunset golden irises in his eyes. He yawned, and as result gave a sound that was much like that of a newborn puppy. The woman gave a small smile before turning and walking into the house. "He's all alone," she began, glancing to her husband with expecting eyes. "And we've been trying for children for a while now with no luck yet."

The man frowned. Something seemed so odd about all this, and the fact that this baby most definitely wasn't normal didn't help the situation. "Grace, we don't know where he came from. Hell, just look at those ears of his. He's obviously not remotely near normal. We-"

He stopped when the baby gazed at him, giving a look that seemed to be able to melt hearts in an instant. With a sigh, he smiled and then slowly nodded. "Alright. We'll go out tomorrow and get things taken care of legally." He then gently rubbed the infant's head, getting a small yelp from the child like the kind a pleased puppy would give. "I just wonder how we're going to explain how different he is."


	2. Chapter 1

"Ugly freak!"

Other, bigger children kicked him as the little boy huddled in a corner. He was crying loudly, but to anyone who wasn't watching, it sounded more like the whines of a puppy than the cries of a human child. His white hair was caked with mud, the dog ears on top of his head as well filthy. There were bruises on his face from where his tormenters had beat him, and his arms and legs were scrapped. Even if they weren't much older than him, he couldn't fight back, not like he'd try.

He'd been treated badly ever since he'd first gone to preschool, but in kindergarten, it had only gotten worse. At least a couple of years ago, he'd been only ignored by other children, left to be on his own and treated as if he didn't exist. Now however, the older kids of the school were physically bullying him, beating him almost every other day, all because he was different. If only one of the teachers watching the playground would notice, he'd be all right.

"Little Doggy Daniel," one of the boys hissed, throwing more mud at him that splattered on his face. "Belongs in a pound, eating from the ground."

He whimpered, producing a dog-like noise that only resulted in more laughs and insulting jeers while someone got the idea to start throw rocks at him. "Stop," he cried as the small stones hit his body. "Just leave me alone!"

They only laughed at him, but when there was a sharp yell that caused them to scatter, he slowly opened his eyes to see the one thing that made him cry with relief. The young woman bent down and picked him up, noting the horrible bruises he's taken. "Daniel," she whispered while looking to see the boys who were running to get out of sight. It was the same group who had done this to him last time, except, when she looked to see one of the other adults watching the school yard, there was no way they could get out of trouble this time. She smiled and patted the five-year-old on the back while walking toward the school office, and thusly, the nurse's office inside. "What started it this time?"

Sniffing as he finally stopped bawling, the little boy named Daniel Stevens whimpered. "I was just talking to Lily, and Greg started beating me up, said a freak like me shouldn't talk to girls."

The young teacher sighed as she opened the office door and walked inside. Such events like this were all too common when it came to the poor boy. Not many children treated him anything like a human being, all because he had some strange dog-like mutation that gave him those odd ears on the top of his head. It was cruel and horrible, human nature at its worst, but sadly, it was something that extended not only to those bullies. As far as she's heard, none of their parents had really done much to punish the ones who'd been caught and suspended for this.

The school nurse was out, so, as she sighed, the woman set Daniel on one of the beds and opened a cabinet to search for some bandages and rubbing alcohol to clean the scratches and cuts on his arms. Once that was taken care of, she picked him up and carried him to a sink, where she proceeded to wash the mud out of his hair as best she could. "Little brats," she muttered while using a paper towel to get the caked in dirt out. "Why don't you ever fight back?"

He sniffed, resisting the instinctive urge to shake the water from his hair once most of the mud was out. "I don't like to," he whispered. His yellow eyes glazed at the teacher, then turned down to the ground. "If I try, they'll just hurt me more."

The young woman sighed, her mind realizing that this cycle would never stop if something drastic wasn't done. Daniel never gave the names of his tormenters, partly because he knew that if he told who had done this to him, they would do worse the next time. Few children at the school even stood in his presence, let alone talked to him. No doubt, the boy had a serious complex of feeling like he was inferior to everyone else by now.

"I'm calling your mother," she at last said, walking over to the phone that rested on the nearby desk and quickly dialing. She'd punched in this number so many times in just the first few weeks of being Daniel's teacher, she knew it by heart already. There were a few ring tones, and then, finally, someone picked up.

"_Hello?_"

"Grace, it's Janet Wiez at the school," she said into the phone, her eyes glancing over to Daniel while he sat down on the bed. After how many times she'd had to call his parents, she was very much on a first name basis with them, particularly his mother. "Are you busy right now?"

There was a sharp groan on the other end of the line. Grace Stevens knew what this was about. "_Oh no, what happened now?_"

"I think you should get over to the school as soon as possible," Janet replied. She sighed, knowing that the only thing they could do was going to severely hamper Daniel's social life, but with all the problems he had, there wasn't much choice. "We need to have a meeting about all this."

A sigh, and the woman on the other end of the phone-line breathed in while the noise of her moving about could be heard. "_I'll be down in about fifteen minutes._" There was a click, and then the empty tone that signaled she had hung up.

Janet set the receiver back on the cradle of the phone, then sighed and walked over to sit on the bed next to Daniel. "You don't deserve this kind of punishment, kid. Why do you let them just do this to you?"

The boy was quiet. He didn't want to answer, because it was stupid to say, but it was the reason. Plain and simple, he was smaller than the children who bullied him, and he was scared of them, because most of them were bigger and because they always ganged up on him. Fighting back, as a result, would be futile.

While he sat there, Janet stood up and walked toward the main office. "I'll be right back," she said. Daniel sighed, knowing that she was most likely going to the principal. His ears picked up almost every word of the conversation, especially when it got very heated from his teacher's side.

He hated being the source of so many problems, for his teacher, who he adored, and for his parents. Only five years old, and he'd already been the focus of twelve parent-teacher meetings since starting kindergarten. Granted, he wasn't the one causing trouble, but all the same, his presence was a disturbance for how many problems the other children caused in response to him. This latest round of torment was actually rather tame in comparison to things that had been done to him in the past. Physical wounds healed far too easy for him, never a question of that, but the mental scars from all the other things were the things that never went away. A lot of other students treated him like an animal, trying to make him fetch sticks, dumping dog food in his lunch as they walked by, and even worse. Just last week, someone had tied a rope around his neck like a leash, then told the teachers who'd caught them that they were taking Daniel for a walk.

He heard footsteps coming. Looking up, Daniel could see that Janet Wiez was not in a good mode, but there was still a trace of triumph on her face. "This is gonn'a stop, kid," she intoned while sitting down and opening the folder that was in her hands. "I'm just sorry that this is the only way it's going to stop."

* * *

Half an hour later, in the otherwise empty classroom, Daniel sat quietly as his teacher was talking about everything that had happened. His mother, Grace, looked very upset that it had even come this far, while the principal looked like he'd heard it so many times, he didn't care anymore. _All because I'm a..._

His thought halted. He didn't want to admit it, because it's exactly what all those bullies said, but, compared to them, he was. He was so different that it was no wonder people avoided him, but did it have to be like this? So dog-like, not only in his looks, but in how he acted as well. _I'm a freak..._

And the worst thing was, he knew it had nothing to do with his parents. He'd long known that he was adopted, left on their doorstep when he was an infant, but it had never made any difference to them. They'd loved him just as much as if he was their real son. And Miss Wiez looked on him as an actual human being, even taking the time to explain to him why he wasn't an animal, just a very extreme case of mutation. He didn't really understand it all, but what he did get was that he wasn't the only one who had animalistic features, and had seen pictures of other people who had similar conditions. His was just a very advanced and odd case of such.

But, no one else really cared much about all that. As far as most people were concerned, he was a freak of nature, and was to be treated as such. Not many children could get around his looks, and even fewer adults would be humane enough to not treat him like an animal who only looked like a human. And sadly, Principal Waldman was not one of those people.

"So what are we supposed to do?" the man said after Janet had explained all the details of everything that had happened to Daniel. He sighed and tapped his left hand on the table, looking quite bored. "Honestly, he does cause such a problem that it's no wonder those children react this way."

"Cause a problem!" Janet hissed, now slamming her own palms against the table. "For god's sake, he just talked to another student, and they _beat_ him! I don't even need to go into the details of when Greg Harris tied that rope around his neck and dragged him halfway across the schoolyard!" She breathed heavily, trying to calm down as best she could, but it was obvious Waldman was trying to be on the side of the majority instead of taking action that would actually do something to help. "We have accounts from ten eyewitnesses of what happened this time, including myself and another teacher, and you're accusing Daniel of causing trouble?"

Again, the principal just shrugged, then took off his glasses and began cleaning them. "Children will be children," he said flippantly. He let out a breath on the lenses, then rubbed them again and slipped his bi-focals back on. "But it's obvious that Daniel Stevens is the source of these problems. Clearly, he must be doing something to incite such reactions from his fellow students."

There was no way she could swallow it. Hard evidence in his face, and Waldman was still trying to blame the poor boy for all the problems he'd suffered. Janet knew trying to make changes was pointless, but she still had to give the effort. However, since the school principal was unwilling to help, it left them with only one other option. "I'm sorry that I wasted _our_ time trying to discuss this with you," she said at last. When the principal stared at her, offended, she made to attempt to apologize. "Yes, _our_ time. At least between the two members of school staff here, I actually care about this poor boy, while you seem more content to say it's all his fault and let those responsible for his injuries walk away without any consequences!"

"Well, obviously if these problems center around him-"

There was a deadly gleam in Grace's eyes as she glared at the man, and Waldman quickly went silent. "I've had enough of this," she snapped angrily. "Ever since he was in preschool, Daniel's suffered ridicule. He was called horrible names, treated like he wasn't human, ignored by everyone, and now, it's only gotten worse." She reached into her hand bag and pulled out a can of dog food that had a messily scribbled note taped on, obviously written by a child from the fact it was in crayon. "I found that on our doorstep yesterday afternoon. Just last week, that Harris boy dragged Daniel around by a rope around his neck. I had to take my son to the doctor because he could barely breathe after that! He was _choking to death_, and you have the gall to say it's _his_ fault!"

He was silent, trying to figure out how to respond. "Well, I suppose that-"

"That what!" she snapped. Grace was furious, at all the things that had happened in the last six months to her son, at the horrible children who did this to him, the parents that did nothing to their children who did this, and most importantly, at this sorry excuse for a human being who was trying to shirk his responsibility and shove the blame all onto a five-year-old boy who's only crime was being different. "I am sick and tired of excuses and blame, Mister Waldman. I want this to end, and I want solutions now!"

"What do you expect me to do!" he finally yelled as he lost his temper for a moment. Waldman regained his composure, then sighed. "Missus Stevens, there's nothing that can be done. So long as your son attends this school, or any other, for that matter, this will follow him."

Janet bite her lip. Yes, what Waldman was saying was true, and she'd known it before she'd even called Daniel's mother. But she'd tried to hold on to hope. It seemed that such optimism was futile, though, since there really was nothing that could be done here. "There is one other option," she said while glancing from her folder to Daniel's mother. "As much as I hate to say it, he's right. No matter where Daniel goes, he's going to face this in the public school system, and most likely in private schools as well."

"So what are we suppose-"

She held up her hand, getting Grace to stop before she could finish those words. "He can't stay here, or things will get worse, I won't even try denying that. You have to pull him out and get him schooled at home."

There was a snort from Waldman. "Please," he retorted disdainfully. "Do that, and he'll have no way to interact with other people."

"Like that would be any different from now!" Janet hissed. "His own classmates treat him like an animal, and the few children who are willing to be around him are scared to death of the ones who beat him. You should have seen Lily Bennett crying her eyes out after she was told to stay away from him last week when Greg put that rope around his neck, afraid of the threats she has to put up with all because she wants to be Daniel's friend."

Waldman was silent, and for once, he had no response to Janet's facts. He looked at Grace, then was sorely tempted to turn away from the angry glare she was giving him. He knew that it was true; he had done nothing to try and solve these problems, all because it was only one little boy. But if there were indeed enough people who would complain, there was no way to avoid trouble. "Then it is out of our hands," he finally whispered. "If Missus Stevens removes Daniel from the school system, then we are no longer involved."

He stood and left, leaving the two women to stare in shock at his words. What he had said was unbelievable, completely offensive, and showed that he really had no concern at all in this matter.

But the whole time, little Daniel has sat quietly in the corner, saying not a word. It was bad enough with this whole meeting being about him and everyone yelling at each other because of the problems his simple existence caused. He had no desire to make it worse by getting anymore involved. And so, he sighed softly, trying to keep anyone from noticing that he was there. His right ear moved slightly, starting to itch.

"I can get you in touch with a friend of mine who works as a home tutor," Janet began. She was talking to his mother, but her eyes were on Daniel. "I've told him about Daniel before, and he's willing to help out." She sighed and pulled out a card from her pocket that she handed to Grace. "I also suggest you get Daniel enrolled in some self-defense classes, because he's going to deal with this kind of mess for most of his life, if not the rest of it."

She nodded, for a moment not able to say anything. "Anyone in particular you suggest?"

"Wolf's Den Martial Arts," Janet replied. "It's a studio just downtown, run by Kouga Ookami. My nephew goes there, he says it's the best place to get real training."

Grace nodded her thanks and started packing up her own belongings. "I just wish it hadn't come to all this, but..." She sighed and glanced to Daniel, who only moved to scratch his ear, but said not a word. He was far too obedient and well behaved for his own good sometimes. "I only hope to God that this finally ends."

With a sigh, Janet Wiez got up from her seat. "It's never really going end," she said while Grace stood. "He's got to face it someday and deal with it. This is only going to solve things for a short while, because he can't be cut off from the rest of the world for the rest of his life." She paused, glancing to the little boy. Only six months had she been his teacher, and it already hurt to know he was going to leave her care. "I just hope that he can be readied to go back to school before he's old enough to graduate."

* * *

The ride home was quiet. Daniel sat in the front passenger seat, not saying a word while his mother drove down the highway. In his mind, it was all his fault. If he weren't so different from everyone else, none of this would have happened. His parents wouldn't have to go through so much because of him, he wouldn't have caused so many problems at school, and he wouldn't have to be dreading whenever someone walked over to him. All that wouldn't be so if he had been a normal person.

He looked over at his mother. She was angry, so very angry, at the school system and everything that had put him through such torment. She couldn't be angry at him, because it was not Daniel's fault, no matter how much he would insist it was. He'd been treated like this for so long by other children than he'd pretty much convinced himself that it was his fault he was treated like an animal, and she was very lucky that he had yet to be convinced that he _was_ just an animal. That was going to change.

"When your father gets home," she said, finally breaking the odd silence, "I know he's going to have quite a few things he'd like to have said to that man."

Daniel only nodded, choosing to remain silent.

"I can't believe the nerve of that creep, trying to lay the whole thing on you after your teacher even gave him the proof that you haven't done a thing to deserve this!"

Again, he only nodded.

Grace looked to the boy, then sighed as she saw that he wasn't going to say anything. "I'm sorry," she continued somberly. "You're not like everyone else, and I know I can't really know how you feel, but you are no less a human being than anybody else, Daniel, remember that." She sighed again. "You deserve the same respect and dignity as any other person in the world."

"It's not your fault," he whispered. "My real parents couldn't stand how I was born, why should anyone else."

There, again, was that inferiority complex that had been beat into him by all the school bullies and hateful parents who saw him as little better than an animal. "Don't say that," Grace stated while she made the turn at the off-ramp. "You don't know why your real parents left you on our door, and neither do we."

Daniel remained silent. He was only five years old, yet he'd already learned more about the world which hated him than even the people who treated him like an animal. Even if his young mind didn't understand everything, he understood something important about it all of how most people saw him; he was an unnatural glitch in nature. He'd been born this way, with white hair and ears like a dog. It wasn't his fault, but people seemed to place the blame on him all the same. There was no way to find out who his real parents were, since he had been left on the doorstep of his adoptive family five years ago, and thus, no way to find out if this was some kind of random condition or something hereditary.

"They probably had no way to take care of you," she continued. "God knows there's enough unfortunate people in this world who are in that kind of situation." Grace noticed then the depressed expression on her son's face. She wasn't helping to lift his mood, that much was for sure. "Look, I'm sure that your real mom and dad wanted to keep you, but had no other choice."

He nodded. Deep down, Daniel knew that, from his real parents, there had been nothing but joy at his presence. He couldn't remember their faces, but the hazy memories of infancy still clung to his mind, little more that feelings and emotions. It was enough, though, to let him know that he had been loved by his parents. But still, then why had he been abandoned? The only thing he could distinctly remember were terrified screams, and then, nothing else.

It was a few more minutes before Grace made the turn into their neighborhood and dove into the driveway of their home. Daniel sighed while unbuckling from the seat, then got out and walked to the back door on his side to open it and get his backpack out of the rear seat. As he gently shut the doors, he slipped his backpack around his shoulder and walked to the front door, waiting for his mother to unlock the door.

"Stop sulking," she said while she fumbled with the key and opened the door after a moment. "I want to see my little boy happy, not like this." She followed him inside and set her keys on a rack holder before glancing over to Daniel as he took a seat on the couch. "You know very well you're not in any trouble, and none of this whole mess is your fault, so stop acting like it is."

As he looked to his mother, Daniel's eyes were watered over, expressing a sadness that was about ready to explode from him. "I just wanna be like everyone else," he finally exclaimed. A moment later, he pushed away from the couch and ran to his mother, burying his reddening face in her shoulders when she knelt down to hug him. Tears pour down his cheeks, bitter tears of rejection from almost everyone around him. "I just wanna be like the other kids, why can't I be normal?"

There was a soft hushing sound from her lips as Grace calmly picked Daniel up. "It's going to be all right," she whispered into his ears. "Forget about what those children say about you, because if those horrible bullies are what's normal, then you don't want to be like them." She smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes, noticing that heart melting puppy-dog expression in his eyes. She knew that for such a young child, he had suffered too much already. Treated like some common animal by many of the other children since preschool, now physically beaten by many of those same bullies, and his self-esteem was horribly ruined already. The poor boy almost thought he really was just kind of animal because of how people treated him.

And then there were the few kind children who had the humanity to try and be his friend, looking past his condition. If there was anyone Grace now had sympathy for almost as much as for her son, then it was those few. She'd heard about how those children were threatened by Greg Harris and his gang of bullies. Little Lily Bennett was probably the best example. Scratching him behind his ears, bringing him snacks from home, actually liking to be around him; she treated him like a friend. She was such a sweet little girl, and it was horrible that Daniel would probably not get much of a chance to see her again.

"We're going to get you Miss Wiez's friend to be your teacher," Grace said, trying to get the little boy to smile. "And tomorrow, we're going to get you signed up for lessons so you can protect yourself if those terrible little boys try looking for you again."

He was still crying. Grace knew it was because he was going to lose the precious few friends he had. Maybe there was a way to remedy that. "Tell you what," she continued, now setting him in his feet and propping his chin up. "After we get you started in karate lessons, we'll go visit Lily at her house after she gets home from school, that sound good?"

A small nod, and she knew that he had finally come out of his depression a bit. Maybe there was a bright end to this nightmare of a road for his life after all. All that they had to wait for now was for his father to get home and get told the news.

* * *

_I hate it when I can call these things so well_, Grace thought despairingly while her husband was pacing about in the living room, obviously restraining himself from saying a rather lengthy string of vulgarities that were no doubt boiling about in his mind. As it was, he was about ready to go out and track down Principal Waldman just to let that man have a piece of his mind.

"He should have done something, anything, to try and fix this problem!" came the angry words. Ryan halted a moment, balling his fist and punching it into his open left hand. "One good knock in the mouth, that's all I'd need to give him."

She sighed. He didn't get upset like this often, but when he did, Ryan Stevens was a sight to behold. He got it from his own mother, no doubt about that, and it was a wonder he could keep himself under such control. Frankly, Grace didn't blame him, but, there were other things to consider. "Him and the parents of those brats who have done this to Daniel," she replied while keeping an air of calm. "But Janet was right, Daniel can't stay in the public schools like this. I already called the district office and had him pulled from the school, and Janet's having her friend come by tomorrow to start as an home teacher."

He breathed deeply, trying to calm down. At least there was some good news to all this, but still, it was all in all a nightmare. "That woman is the best thing at that school," he muttered while finally sitting down next to his wife. "She's probably the best thing outside this house to happen to Daniel."

"No, that would have been Lily Bennett," Grace said in correction. She sighed for a moment. Daniel was no doubt listening from his room, despite her insistence he should close the door and play on his Nintendo. It couldn't be helped though. At least when he disobeyed his parents, Daniel managed to choose the right times to do it. "That little girl was Daniel's only real friend, and now, he's probably not going to see her again."

There was a pause from Ryan, but then he nodded in agreement. "I just can't believe that Waldman tried pulling this kind of stunt though. Blaming Daniel for everything's he's been through...it's discrimination, and he damn well knows it!"

"Ryan!" she hissed, now gesturing her head to the second floor. "He'll hear you!"

Again, he sighed. "I know, but..." He growled and stood up again, pacing for a few moments before turning to face his wife. "All the nightmare since we first sent him to preschool two years ago, it's not right. So he's different from everyone else, can't someone have the human decency to look at him as a person and not a freak!"

"Ryan, calm down."

"I can't!" he snapped angrily. "I've had enough of this! That boy never did anything to anyone in his life! Why do people have to treat him like some kind of animal!"

Grace lowered her gaze for a moment. "If you remember, you weren't so sure about Daniel when we found him on our doorstep five years ago."

He came to a halt. Then, he nodded. "I know," he replied, his voice carrying that embarrassment in it. "And if I could, I'd go back and kick myself for even thinking of saying no. I was an idiot, and I thank God that he gave me that look, made me see that he was just a human baby left all alone."

After a minute of standing there, Ryan finally sat down again, now holding his head. "So, we're getting him home schooled."

"Yes, and karate lessons," Grace added. When Ryan looked up at her, she sighed. "Janet suggested it, so that he doesn't just lay there at take these beatings like he has been since he started school six months ago. I'm taking him over to the instructor she recommended, a Mister, Ohka...can't remember how to say that name." She sighed for a moment. "Anyway, I'm going downtown tomorrow to get Daniel enrolled, hopefully this will all help, and someday, he can go back to school again and not deal with this anymore."

* * *

Daniel silently closed his door. He walked over to climb onto his bed, then buried his face in the pillow, his eyes filled with tears. He knew his parents were only doing what they could to help him, trying to make sure he wasn't treated the way he had been. But he still felt like it was all his fault.

Finally pulling himself from the tear stain pillow, his eyes wondered up where some of his drawings he had done in school were pinned to the wall. Miss Wiez had always said he'd had a talent for art, one that was incredible for his age. Most of them were typical daydreams of a child; knights in armor, dragons, mythical creatures, but something that tended to be the most often drawn was a large white dog, with three long and wavy tails. More over, that dog tended to have peculiar markings on it, such as three purple lines on each side of the face, and a crescent moon on the forehead.

And something he'd never drawn again was something that had been the only thing to scare his teacher when she had seen it. He's fallen asleep once, while doodling during some free time, and when he came to, Miss Wiez was standing over him, trying to wake him up. He's apparently been screaming out in his sleep, talking in a language that was not English, and sounding overall terrified. The picture he'd drawn, however, truly frightened him just as much as it disturbed his teacher; the image of a black shadow stabbing what looked like him and a girl with spikes that came from its body.

It was the one and only time his own actions had been the focus of a meeting, and it had been attributed to some kind of nightmare he must have been dreaming. But the part that scared him most was that, when he finally remembered it, it hadn't felt like a dream at all, but like it had really been happening.

Greg and his gang had only gotten worse once they'd found out. No matter how much they got caught beating him up, they always continued to do it, like they'd made it their goal to make sure that Daniel was miserable. Sometimes, Daniel wondered if that shadow in him drawing and his nightmares wasn't in fact supposed to be Greg.

But that was all over now. He wasn't going back to school now, and he would never have to deal with Greg and his pack of bullies ever again. But it also meant that he was probably never going to see Lily again either. And that was why he plunged his face into his pillow again.

He'd lost his only friend.


	3. Chapter 2

It wasn't really that long a drive, but it felt like forever. Grace had called in to get the next few days off from work so that she could get things sorted out for her son. The first thing had been to meet Janet's friend and get Daniel's home schooling set up. Her friend, Jim Peterson, had heard all about Daniel's mutations and about the entire situation at the school, so explaining it all hadn't been a problem, and he was more than willing to tutor Daniel.

Now, they were heading downtown to that martial arts school that Janet had suggested. Grace hadn't been able to learn much about the place, save that the owner, whose name she still couldn't remember how to pronounce, was from Japan and was widely recognized as one of the most skilled martial artists in the world. If Janet had spoken so highly of the owner, maybe there was some hope.

It was a short building that sat by itself next to a small parking lot, but the sign made its presence obvious, and the stylized logo that had a pack of wolves behind the name of the studio was also a telltale sign. Grace pulled into the lot and brought the car to a halt before getting out. Daniel didn't hurry as much as he knew he should have been, but, he was nervous, and quiet a bit scared. He'd had those horrible nightmares again last night, kept awake for fear of seeing the frightening images.

"Daniel, hurry up," Grace chimed while walking around to the entrance. He quickly ran over to catch up, but clung close to his mother while they walked through the door. Inside, there wasn't much going on, just some adults who were training, and a few who were practicing what appeared to be yoga. She sighed, not sure who to ask for help.

"Can I help you?" came a calm and slightly rough voice.

Grace turned her head to see the person who has questioned her. He was tall, probably around Ryan's height, with long black hair that came back in a large ponytail of sorts, except that it was tied up at the upper part of his head, and he looked to be around his late-twenties. He had a definite Asian complexion to his skin, but it was a bit more peach colored than normal. There was also a strange shine to his sky blue eyes, almost like the wolf that was his school's mascot. "Yes," she finally said after a moment. "I'm looking for Mister Ohkam...Oko..."

"Oh-kah-mee," he said to give her the proper pronunciation. "Kouga Ookami, which would be me." He grinned, then looked down to notice the little boy who was hiding behind his mother. When his eyes caught sight of his hair and ears, a brow arced up, though it was hard to tell what his internal reactions really were. "So, what brings you down to this neck of the city, Miss..."

"Missus Stevens," she replied. Gently getting Daniel to come out from behind her, Grace nodded to the boy. "I'm looking to get my son signed up for some self-defense lessons." She sighed, then glanced to the owner. "My husband and I had to pull him out of school because of how much he was being beaten up and treated like an animal by the other children. A friend suggested your studio for helping him learn to protect himself when it happens again."

He blinked, then nodded when he recalled having learned of this. "Morgan Faunt told me about that, told me his aunt wanted me to know you'd be coming in." Now returning his attention to Daniel, Kouga knelt down and smiled. "Cute as a puppy, I heard. He'll get along with Shirogane."

"Sheero..."

The man chuckled while standing up. "The dojo mascot, he's a Japanese silver wolf, one of the last of his kind." There was a gesture of his eyes toward where there was a large silvery white furred canine laying at the far corner of the room. It wasn't asleep, Grace could see, but actually watching carefully, very attentive. "I raised him since he was a pup, he wouldn't dream of hurting anyone without a good reason."

Even with those assurances, Grace was obviously a bit nervous. Then, the large wolf got to its feet and walked over. It didn't run, it didn't shuffle, it strode with an almost noble bearing, keeping its head high and straight ahead. As it came over to where the three humans stood, it glanced up at Kouga, then turned its eyes to Daniel, who surprisingly didn't hide behind his mother again. The wolf sniffed him, starting to tickle the boy as it brushed its nose through his hair. And then, it barked in a playful manner, licking Daniel's face and getting him to laugh.

With a grin on his face, Kouga looked up from where the wolf was now playing with Daniel. "Well, they seem to be getting along just fine." He gestured to an office in the back, now walking toward the door. "Why don't we talk about getting him enrolled while they get to know each other?"

Reluctantly, Grace followed, though her eyes kept wandering back to her son and the large wolf. "Are you sure it's all right for him to play with that big dog? I know you say it won't hurt him, but, something that big..."

"Unless your son starts acting like a real threat, Shirogane is going to be just as easy as the pup that kid is." He grinned, closing the door behind Grace and walking around to sit down at his desk. For a moment, he glanced back through the door window, then returned his attention to Grace. "So, Faunt told me how Daniel's had a few problems at school. Seems he doesn't get along to well with some of the older children, but I never heard anything about him being treated like an animal."

Grace hesitated to answer. "I don't think Morgan exactly saw much of what happens to my son. Daniel has been the victim of this kind of torment for about two years now, since we first sent him to preschool. Children would ignore him, call him horrible names, and it's only gotten worse now with him in kindergarten."

"Because of how he looks?"

Surprise was evident on her face. Then it passed. It was, of course, obvious why Daniel was treated so horribly. "Yes, he's got some kind of extreme case of physical mutation, at least as far as the doctors can tell. Mind you, we don't know if it's something he got from his biological parents or if it's random, because no one knows who his parents are."

Kouga's expression changed slightly, almost as if this he had expected. "He's adopted?" he asked, his left brow raised slightly. "I didn't want to assume anything, but I did notice he doesn't look much like you."

Grace nodded while looking back to see Daniel still playing with the wolf. The large canine was now on its back while her son was scratching its belly. They seemed almost like natural friends. "He was left on our doorstep in the middle of the night, five years ago," she said, recalling that odd and fateful night. "I couldn't help but feel so sorry for him when I opened the door and found him laying there, all bundled up. Ever since then, he's been our son, and the fact we adopted him has never mattered to us."

There was a nod, and Kouga sighed. He seemed to be contemplating the situation, processing all the information he knew. "But to everyone else," he whispered. "He's a freak." He saw the shock on Grace's face as she spun back around to look at him. "I knew someone who would know exactly how your son feels, and probably what he's gone through. He was a...friend of mine back when I lived in Japan, had a similar condition." He paused a moment, and his eyes wandered to a small picture frame that sat on his desk. "Very animalistic features, and people treated him like he wasn't human, even called him 'demon-spawn'."

"That's horrible!" Grace exclaimed in shock. "No one deserves that kind of hate just because of how they look!"

Again, he nodded, but it was a pained nod. "Unfortunately, humans are like that, fearing and hating what they don't understand." Kouga paused a moment, then finally pulled back his hair from over his ears to reveal the odd elongated 'elf' look they had. "I got some of that, though it wasn't as bad." He sighed while letting his hair cover his ears again. "But still, I know what your son's gone through."

For a moment, both adults were silent. It was then that Kouga opened a drawer and pulled out some forms before picking up a pen from his desk top. "Missus Stevens," he began. "Your son would do well here, no question about it. I think he'd actually probably do very well at one of the bigger martial arts schools. But the problem is, I don't think they'll look past his condition. They don't have the life experiences I've had and seen. If you are serious about enrolling him, he's more than welcome to become a student here."

Again, Grace looked back through the office door window to where Daniel was with the wolf. She wasn't sure just how well he could adjust to the idea of learning how to fight back. He'd always hated any kind of violence in his life, and it had always led to him taking the beatings without even throwing a punch. But if he didn't learn to defend himself, he'd never be free of those horrible experiences.

And so, knowing that it was the best thing she could do now, Grace nodded and took the forms, looking over the papers while filling them out. She loved her son too much to let him go through life as a victim of the kind of prejudice he'd suffered already. "Thank you so much," she said while signing the enrollment forms. "I'm not sure what I would have done if not for Janet's help, and now you."

The man nodded while taking back the papers and pen, looking everything over. "I have a hunch I know exactly how you feel," he replied, then set the forms on his desk and stood up. "And believe me, if any one of my other students even thinks of giving him a hard time, I will be the one to chew them out personally."

If this man was definitely one thing, it was reassuring and sincere. Not only that, but Daniel already seemed to be feeling much more accepted here, if the way he was playing with that wolf was any indication. It really did seem like things had taken a much better turn.

"I should be able to find a _gi_ for his size sometime tonight," Kouga remarked while standing up from his seat. "You're welcome to stick around so he can see the kind of stuff he'll be learning. It'll also be good so that the other students around his age will learn not to treat him badly."

He opened the door and led her back out, and Grace could see now that Daniel was watching the practicing adult students with great interest, while the large wolf was curled up behind him and acting like cushion for the sitting boy. It struck her as odd, that his attention could be captured like that by what basicly was a style of fighting. Daniel hated to fight, had never thrown a punch in his life. But, it was definitely a sign he'd be able to keep his attention on learning. "We actually have a stop to make soon," she replied once she looked at her watch. "But if it's alright, we'll come back later."

With an accepting grin, Kouga nodded and snapped his fingers. The wolf shifted so that Daniel knew he was going to move, then, once the boy was standing, rose and walked over to his master. "I should have him a _gi_ by then. Oh, I forgot to ask you, how do you want to pay for class fees?"

"I'll bring a check tonight," she said calmly while Daniel walked over to her. Truth be told, Grace was all too thankful for how easy this had been. "I'm sure that my husband will want to thank you as well."

With a grin, Kouga led them out to the main door and knelt down to ruffle Daniel's hair. "Don't worry about anyone who's ever bullied you again," he said. "we're gonn'a make sure they won't think of it the next time they see you."

The boy whispered a good-bye, and then, he and his mother departed. Kouga sighed, his eyes watching those ears as they waggled. Yes, he knew very much what that boy had probably gone through, and had every intention of teaching that boy how to protect himself from future problems. But, he hadn't exactly been completely honest with how he knew about Daniel's problems.

"Hajime!" he called as he walked back into the dojo and onto the main training pad. One of the teachers told his students to keep sparring, then walked over to Kouga. "Go back and see if you can find a _gi_ small enough for the little new kid, preferably red."

The man raised a brow. His own lupine-esque eyes shined while trying to read Kouga's own, but failed to determine what he was thinking. "Red?" he asked quizzingly. "Any particular reason that color?"

There was a spark in those sky blue eyes, one of amusement. "Call it a hunch," came Kouga's reply while he patted his friend on the shoulder. He then shifted out of speaking English and into Japanese. "(He smells like Mutt-Face, except cleaner.)"

* * *

There was a knock on the door, and the brunette woman sighed as she set down the phone, having just ordered pizza for dinner. "Coming!" she called as she walked over and opened the door to see Grace and Daniel Stevens standing on the porch. "Grace!" she exclaimed, while gesturing for the two to come in. "I wasn't expect you and little Danny to drop by."

"Sorry about that, Terri." Grace smiled and glanced down at her son. "Is Lily home yet?"

There was a stomping from the second floor, and the little girl in question came bounding down the stairs, chestnut brown hair bouncing while her blue eyes widened as she saw the dog-ears boy. "Danny!" she cried, scampering over and wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

"Lily!" he whispered. "Choking!"

She quickly apologized, then pull him away by the hand. Both mothers only smiled in amusement at the antics of the two five-year-olds. It was then that Terri Bennett turned to Grace with worried eyes. "I heard about what happened at the school. Did they really throw _rocks_ at him?"

"You should have seen the bruises on his body," came the reply as Grace sighed sadly. "Not a mark on him after he got some sleep though. Of course, Waldman, in grand form, refused to do anything about it after Janet called a meeting. So, I pulled him out of school, and we've got a home tutor for him." Again, that sad sigh of having done far too much in so little time. "We just got back from signing him up for karate lessons, and the owner seems to be really friendly."

The other mother nodded somberly. She knew well the kind of problems Daniel had dealt with at school. She usually got the account from her daughter, in tears no less half of the time. "It's all because of those Harris boys," she hissed venomently. "Devin started it all, and his brother with that little gang of brats haven't stopped since."

A nod. Grace remembered well how it all started with Greg Harris' little brother Devan. That boy was part of his brother's little gang of bullies, and he'd gotten Greg to keep the torment to Daniel up. "Daniel shouldn't have to deal with that anymore," she said. "I hope."

"Mommy!" came the squeeky voice from the living room. "Can Danny stay for dinner!"

That certainly broke the overcast mood between the two women. Terri glanced to Grace, but the latter shook her head. "We have places to be later, sorry." There was a faint smile on her lips though as she looked around the corner and gestured for Daniel that they had to leave. "We'll come back Saturday though."

Terri nodded, though the pouty expression her daughter was giving did not go unnoticed. "He'll be over to play in a few days, you silly girl. It's not like we're going to be going anywhere. He can stay for dinner when I fix roast hot pot."

With nod, Lily again squeezed Daniel until he was begging for her to let go, then waved good-bye as he and his mother left. In her mind, she'd be seeing him again as much as she wanted, and nothing was going to change. However, later that same day, when her father got home from work, they got the news that he was being promoted and transferred to another office. They'd be moving to California within the next week.

And after that weekend, it would be almost a decade before Daniel and Lily saw each other again. She wouldn't forget him, but he wouldn't remember her, and the memories of his most precious friend would be lost until they met again. But, that's a part of the story for later.


	4. Chapter 3

With sweat running down his face while the padded headpiece matted down his silvery-white hair, the young boy breathed in carefully. The top of his red _gi_ was soaked with sweat, and he was trying to keep his hands from clenching too tightly. His nails were getting a bit longer than they should have been, and they were beginning to dig into his palm a little too much. But right now, his concern was on the older boy in front of him, who was decked in green sparring gear while there was an audience around them both.

The ref gave the call, and the other boy was the first to move, but with a swift shifting of his posture, Daniel brought his left arm up and caught the punch, then brought his right hand about to land a hit on his opponent's chest. The ref called point, they resumed ready position, and it began again. A powerful kick came as the first strike, one that Daniel this time ducked under, then leapt in a flip to avoid a sweep kick. His own left leg, as his feet hit the ground, swung down, and barely missed catching the other boy. A few hand strikes, and the one in green gear managed to make a solid scoring hit. Daniel sighed as they both again resumed a ready stance.

Once more was the call given. The older boy grunted as he kicked out, Daniel smoothly deflecting with the side of his arm before he swiftly wrapped his hand around the leg, then gave a solid kick of his own that connected and scored him the point that ended the match.

He breathed heavily as he and the other boy bowed to each other, then pulled off his own red head gear and let the dog-ears on top of his head stand up, unconfined and able to hear better now. After a moment, he pulled off his gloves as well, noting the small marks left in his palms from where he had been holding his fists a little too tightly.

Ten years old, and already he was taking part in the local tournaments. Not only that, he was probably in better shape than the other boys who were older than him, as well as more impressively toned for his age. It probably came from five straight years of martial arts lessons from Sensei Ookami. Then again, Daniel Stevens always had been something of an oddity in terms of physical development, and a prodigy at learning how to fight, no matter how much he actually hated real violence.

He glanced over to where his parents were sitting in the stands, and smiled before twisting open the cap on a bottle of water and starting to chug it down. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't so sure how much longer he should be doing this, because he was getting very tired already, and he'd been in a variety of matches for almost an hour and a half. More so, he'd been in matches with people almost four years older than him, and, with a varying degree of success, been winning most of those bouts. No doubt, some of those guys were a little sore about being beaten by a ten-year-old. Thankfully, however, he'd not gotten much flak about his mutations.

He looked around then, trying to find any sign of Sensei Ookami, finally noticing him in a corner talking to one of the other teachers at Wolf's Den. He capped his water bottle, grabbed his gloves and helmet, and walked over, quickly giving a bow to his teachers. "Sensei."

"Not a bad job in there, kid," Kouga remarked appraisingly while patting the boy on the shoulder. "You looked beat though. You wann'a sit the rest out and recover?"

He almost declined, but Daniel knew he was, by all means, done. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going with this before he fell over from exhaustion. "Yes," he finally said. "I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be the only one who gets all the glory."

Hard working and modest. Kouga grinned at Daniel, then nodded to him. "Go ahead and sit with your folks. Morgan will probably love to take over for ya."

The boy breathed in, bowed, then ran into the stands to join his parents. His father clapped him on the back, telling him he did good, while his mother handed him a teriyaki chicken bowl. He quickly poured in the little dish of sauce, then stirred it while watching the next match that was going on. True to what his teacher had said, Daniel saw Morgan Faunt going into the bout in his place. He smiled while he popped a mouthful in and chewed, then washed it down with some water.

Something tickled in the back of his mind at that moment. Something odd, almost like a pin prick, but it was getting larger, turning now into a chilling sensation that went down his spine. He tried to ignore it, taking another bite of his food, but it got worse. He could barely hold his eyes open, and then, he lost all vision just as he dropped his lunch and fell over.

* * *

Bright lights. It hurt his eyes. Noise, incoherent voices, but it was starting to clear up. And then, he could see people surrounding him. Daniel groaned, blinking while his eyes tried to adjust, and he could feel that he was on the mats. Kneeling over him was a medic, who was monitoring his vitals. The man sighed and nodded to someone who stood just out of his visual range, and then, Daniel turned to see his parents. "Mom? Dad? What happened?"

"You all right?" came Kouga's voice as the man came into view. He helped Daniel sit up slowly, still wary of what had happened. "Had us scared there, kid."

His mother sighed with relief as she knelt down. "You passed out, Daniel."

The boy blinked in surprised, then glanced to the medic for explanation. With a shrug, the man handed him a bottle of water. "Most likely, he just over exerted himself. Does he have a history of this?"

Both Grace and Ryan shook their heads. The medic nodded, then with Kouga's aid, carefully helped Daniel to his feet. "No more for you today, kid. You need some rest, and lots of water."

That went without saying. "I was already doing that," he softly replied. It was then he sighed and walked over to his parents. "Maybe we should go home," he whispered, his ears now pulling down in some kind of display of beaten self-esteem. He'd had his fun, but with this now having happened, it was better to keep the loss of face from getting worse.

But then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something. It was quick, he almost didn't see it, but something darted across the walls, like a shadow almost. He blinked, and it was gone. He'd really overdone it this time, now he was seeing things.

His parents quickly gathered his gear, then went out with him to the car, where he sulked his way into the back seat and was quiet. His confidence was once again shot through like swiss cheese, all because he'd just been working too hard and passed out. The boy had almost no ego, which was both a good thing and a bad; he couldn't believe in himself.

"No one is going to think of you as any less of a person," his father finally said as he turned into the on-ramp of the freeway. "You really have been doing a lot the past few days, I'm not surprised that happened." He sighed, noting how upset Daniel was with himself. "You're only ten years old, Danny, you can't expect to be able to exert yourself like that and not have a few problems."

The boy only nodded while looking out the window. He did feel tired, but it wasn't just from having gone so long without a break. He'd been just fine until he'd felt that chill down his spine. But what had caused such a reaction? He had to have been seeing things after he'd come to, because that odd flicker of shadow had almost looked like a fox or a dog. That was impossible, because no pets had been allowed at the competition, and there weren't any foxes that lived in the region.

Maybe everything he'd been doing was finally getting to him. He'd been having really odd dreams lately, like those he'd had when he was little; a large white dog with three tails, an inky black shadow with red eyes, and sometimes what looked like him, but older and dressed a really weird red outfit. Oh, and that really big sword, the one that looked like a fang.

He was tired though, but he didn't really want to deal with those dreams again. Every time he had one of them, he ended up screaming so badly that his parents had to run in and wake him up. It was like reliving the worst thing possible in his life, except he knew that it had never happened.

A ringing chime broke the silence, and Grace reached into her pants pocket to pull out her cellular phone and flip it open before hitting the talk switch. "Hello?" she greeted. It was then she looked back at Daniel and nodded, mostly to herself. "Yeah, we're still heading home." With a faint smile, she handed the phone back to him. "It's Sensei Ookami," she stated.

The boy nervously gulped and took the phone. It was awkward, since his ears were so high up, but he could fortunately still hear the voice from the tiny speaker. "Yes sir?"

"_Pup, you alright?_" the concerned voice over the phone asked. "_You don't sound so good._"

He was silent for a moment. "I'm just not in that great of a mood," he said tersely. His voice was barely above a whisper, though would could still glean from that voice just how depressed he was. "I screwed up and worked too hard, it's my fault I passed out."

"_I don't wann'a hear that kind'a attitude from our rising star,_" Kouga snapped, though it was more in humor than actual anger. "_It happens to everyone at least once, kid, don't worry about it. Stop by the dojo later, I got something that you might wann'a pick up._"

After a few more minutes of Kouga talking the boy into cheering up, Daniel finally started smiling again. Both his parents could see the change in his disposition, and even after these five long years, still were amazed at how much Kouga Ookami could get that boy to grin.

Finally, Daniel said his good-byes and hung up, closing the phone and handing it back to his mother. "Sensei wants me to drop by the dojo later today, says he's got something for me to pick up."

As he chuckled, Ryan glanced back and nodded. "We'll go over after dinner," he replied. "And you best hop in the tub when we get home, because we're eating out tonight."

The boy's eyes lit up. If they were going out for dinner tonight, after he'd just been through a competition, he knew exactly where they were going. "Tony Roma's!" he cried excitedly. That smile on his father's face told enough that he didn't need it said. "Alright!"

"All you can eat ribs, kid," Ryan stated while making the turn-off. "So make sure you eat all you can, because I don't wann'a hear you getting up in the middle of the night for a midnight snack."

Daniel nervously laughed while he scratched at an itch behind his ear. "Um, I thought I cleaned up that mess."

"You made enough noise that we didn't need a mess to know you were up at one in the morning," Ryan cracked as he continued into their neighborhood. "No wonder you passed out today, you didn't get enough sleep last night."

Now the boy was blushing bright red, almost matching his _gi_ while his father pulled up into the driveway. He gulped, tried to flush out the red in his cheeks, and grabbed his bag before unbuckling and getting out of the car. His mother was already headed for the door by the time he shut the back door of the car, and he followed her inside before heading off toward the basement to drop his bag downstairs in the gym that they'd set up for him.

For a moment, he paused before the large kick bag that hung from the ceiling. It wouldn't hurt to get a bit of practice in for a few minutes before taking a bath. He dropped the bag on the ground, then took a deep breath and started punching rapidly. He went through a few different methods of style, then suddenly yelped when he felt something cut his palm. He pulled his hand away from the bag, thinking for a moment that there was something there, but then noticed that his hand was bleeding; it wasn't something on the bag, it was his own nails. And when he looked closely, he saw why; they'd become sharp in the time it had taken for the ride home, with edged points that made them look like claws.

"Mom!" he cried out, scared of what he was looking at on his own hands. He grabbed a towel to wrap his bleeding palm, then ran back upstairs. "Mom, dad! Something's wrong!"

"Danny, what is it?" Grace asked as she walked over. The minute he showed her the cut in his palm and his nails which were starting to look more and more like small claws, her eyes went wide with shock. "Daniel, what happened?"

He shook his head while she led him to the sink and washed his hand off. "I was just doing some practice before I took a bath, and then, it hurt to punch, because my nails got like this."

As the water kept washing the blood off his palm, Grace went to a cupboard and pulled out a box of band-aids. Within a few moments, she dried off his hand and quickly put a pair of bandages on the wound. It was then she took a better look at the boy's nails to see that they were rather sharp looking now. They looked just fine earlier before the competition, why had they suddenly grown like this so quickly?

"Let me get the clippers," she said to the boy, walking off and into the bathroom to grab a pair of nail clippers. When she came back, Grace held his left hand, then proceeded to clip his nails down to normal length. She repeated with the other hand, then took a look at the pieces that she'd cut off. They were indeed sharped like claws, and thicker than normal. Something very odd was going on with her son now, but it seems like it was easy to remedy.

With a sigh, Grace threw the clippings into the garbage and looked over to Daniel. "Go hop in the tub and get washed up, and be careful with that cut."

He nodded and headed to the upstairs bathroom, closing the door behind him and peeling off his _gi_ while the bathtub filled. What was happening to him? Granted, he'd let his nails get a little longer than normal, but why had they suddenly turned into claws like that?

He slid into the bathtub, laying there for a few minutes while he tried to rationalize it all as best his ten-year-old mind could. Was this just another one of those dog-like traits of his that were developing? That was the most obvious answer, as offsetting as it was. He'd thought that his habits and physical features had been it, but if more were growing in, then it was time to rethink things.

Fifteen minutes later, he finished washing up, dried off, and wrapped a towel around himself before heading across the hall into his room. Quickly getting dressed, he pulled his long hair up out of his shirt and tied it back with a trio of hair ties. His shoes pulled on and laced a few moments later, and he bounded down the stairs again. He'd lost his lunch thanks to that black out, so, he was hungry, and he wanted to eat, soon. That all-you-can-eat ribs deal was sounding really good now.

* * *

Well after seven, and they finally were heading home. It was a good thing Ryan had insisted on getting Daniel the all-you-can-eat, because the boy's appetite would almost make one think he'd been starving for the past several weeks. He's managed to pack down at least six more half-racks after the first main plate, and even then, they'd still had enough leftovers to take home, because knowing Daniel, he was going to be hungry come sometime in the middle of the night.

There was one stop to make on the way home, though. They made a detour and pulled into the lot next to Wolf's Den, Daniel racing from the car and to the door of the dojo while his parents just calmly walked behind him. Inside, some people were practicing, but the major thing of note was the small party that was going on. How well had they done after he and his parents had left?

"There he is!" came the rough and familiar voice of Sensei Ookami. The dog-eared boy grinned as Kouga walked over, then bowed while the man returned it. "I was wondering when you'd show up. Feeling better?"

Daniel quickly nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I just hope this trend of being overly polite extends to when he hits thirteen," Ryan remarked jokingly while walking over and shaking hands with Kouga. "Five years of this, and I still am amazed at the job you did with Danny."

A smirk from Kouga as he ruffled the boy's hair up a bit. "Now if he'd just stop having confidence issues all the time," he replied. "But, I'm sure that will be fixed the minute he's a teenager and he thinks the world owes him something just because." It was then his eyes lit up and he gestured for Daniel and his parents to follow. "I got something that belongs to you," came the statement as he led them into his office and reached behind his desk to pull out a trophy. He held it out to Daniel, noting the surprise in the kid's eyes. "You earned it, kid, more than anyone here. They wanted to give it to Morgan, but he insisted that it was yours."

Eyes still shining with disbelief, Daniel took hold of the award, looking at the engraved name plate. "Daniel...'Inuh...' what's that say?"

"InuYasha," Kouga stated to help the boy. "It means 'dog demon'." He paused for a moment, then grinned. "Technically, it means 'female demon dog', but Japanese is kind'a notorious for ignoring gender fixatives in names like that. Remind me to tell you about a woman named Rumiko some time." Again, he ruffled Daniel's hair, then noted the sparkle in his eyes. "It's kind'a your nickname with us, kid. All you kids here are our pups, but you're a lot moreso like a dog, and in a good way; loyal, insane senses, and those ears of yours."

Ryan raised a brow. "And 'demon'?"

Now there was a chuckle. "He resembles what one might imagine an inuyahsa to look like," Kouga replied before he explain. "They were supposed to have a human form with canine features. There's actually old legends back home of such creatures, who were fierce warriors, and so, it kind'a stuck." Again, he reached behind his desk and pulled out a small paper wrapped package. "Almost forgot about that," he said as he handed it to Daniel. "That's something else you earned today. I would have given it to you at the competition, but you were better off getting some rest. So, call this the informal presentation, and we'll do the more official one next week."

With his eyes lighting up like fireflies, Daniel tore open the paper wrapping and gazed down at what Kouga had given him. It was his purple belt, signifying his rise in status and rank in the martial arts style he trained in. "Sensei, I..." He paused in his words. The main reason he'd risen so quickly, learned so fast, was because Kouga had taught him personally so often. "I'm not ready for this yet."

"Like heck you ain't," the man replied while laughing faintly. "You took on guys at that rank today and did a shine better than most anyone else would have, especially at your age." He shrugged, then looked at Daniel's parents for a moment before glancing down at Daniel again. "You're a natural fighter kid, and the fact you don't have a big desire to fight is the sign of a real martial artist. A few more years, you'll probably be at red, if not starting through your black belts." He smiled and knelt down to pat Daniel on the shoulder. "You should be proud of yourself, Danny. I know that your parents are, and if they were around, your real parents would be too."

Confusion flickered in Daniel's eyes, and in the expressions of his parents. It didn't elude Kouga, who quickly grinned as he stood up. "I mean, who wouldn't be? If he were my kid, I'd be proud, so I'd like to assume that his natural parents would be." Good, they were nodding as the questioning looks faded. _Managed to salvage that one,_ he inwardly said to himself. "You guys are welcome to stick around for the party, those kids are still having a tug-a-war over who gets to put the big trophy on the rack."

Daniel looked up at his father, his eyes expressing his agreement, but Ryan slowly shook his head and sighed. "Thanks, but we probably should get home and get the pup to bed. Danny got today off from his tutor, so Jim is coming in tomorrow to make up for it."

"Dad..."

Again, Kouga gave a faint laugh while he patted Daniel's head. "Get the extra sleep, kid. We'll give you a little party when you come in tomorrow night, because we all know you earned it." A flicker in his eyes. "We'll even leave the DDR set-up here tonight and call it another kick-back and have fun class."

That earned an enthusiastic smile from Daniel. He and his parents, as they departed, said good-bye, and then, they were gone. Hajime walked over to Kouga as he stood by the office door, looked at the dojo entrance, then smirked. "Strange how much he's almost nothing like the flea-bag."

There was a flash in Kouga's eyes again, but it was a defensive one this time, even if he was smiling. "That's my old friend you're talking about," he said sharply. "And if he were still alive, I'd be helping him beat your ass down for calling him that." He went back into his office and flopped into the desk chair, glancing to the picture in the frame that sat on his desk. "It's been so long, and I actually still miss him." There was a sigh. "I want to tell him, but he'd never believe me, and his parents wouldn't get it at all even if the kid did."

"You could show him the old photo."

His gaze was on the weathered old Polaroid in the frame. It was the biggest piece of evidence he had to his old friend and rival's existence, as well as the reason they'd been rivals. "He's got a good life with those two rasing him," he finally said after a long moment of silence. "I'm not gonn'a screw it up just to relive something of the old days. He may look like the dog, have the same eyes and hair, but it doesn't change the truth about Daniel, Hajime, something that even I had to accept."

"And that is?"

With a resound sigh, Kouga turned the frame around and pointed to one of the people in the photo. It was a young man in red robes, who looked a lot like some older version of Daniel. Standing next to him on one side, dressed in a Japanese school uniform, was an Asian girl with black hair, and on the other side was a younger Kouga, though he was dressed in furs instead of anything remotely current day. A few other people were in the picture, but it was that young man in red that Kouga brought attention to.

"He's not his father."


	5. Chapter 4

_**Late February, 2002**_

"Daniel!"

He turned in his bed, still fast asleep when the sun shined down through the blinds. His left ear twitched slightly while his eyes opened slowly, then closed again. He didn't want to wake up now, not when he was in the middle of a really good dream. "Just ten more minutes," he muttered under his breath while pulling the sheets over his head again.

"Daniel, get up! You're going to be late for your first day at school!"

Now he was up. "Ah, crap!" he exclaimed as he threw the sheets off and quickly scrambled around his room to get dressed. "Not good, not good!" came his worried words as he pulled a shirt on, slipped his long hair out of the neck hole, and grabbed a series of hair-ties to keep it held back. He grabbed a wallet from his dresser, shoved it into the front pocket of his pants, then quickly struggled to get his shoes on before snatching a jacket from his chair.

Bounding down the stairs, He was looking around, sure he was forgetting something, other than obviously breakfast. "Backpack, backpack, where's my-"

"Next to your motorcycle, along with your helmet," Grace said as she held out a ten-dollar bill that quickly vanished from her hands. His first day, and already, Daniel was going to be late for school. Better the middle of the school year than the start.

He uttered a fast thanks before opening the garage door and letting the door swing shut behind him. Grace sighed and went back to drinking her coffee while she could hear the garage open and the distinctive sound of a street bike starting up rang out. A minute later, that same 'cycle and its rider tore off, leaving her to shake her head in dismay. "Better have been worth the fight with the district to get him into high school this late in the year."

"I am so gonn'a be late!"

* * *

The light had barely turned green before Daniel gunned the engine and tore down the road, going as fast as legally allowed, and probably a bit over that. He lowered his foot while making a right turn, using his leg as a prop, then pulled it back up against his motorcycle and shot down the street. He's not even had time to stop somewhere to grab some breakfast, and he had, if he was right, about ten minutes to get his butt to the high school, get his schedule from the main office, and get to his first class.

Damn his tendency to oversleep!

He finally saw the school, Harman High, pulled into the student lot and silently thanked his mother for picking up that parking permit from the office for him. With only a minute of a delay as he shut off the shiny red and white Kawasaki street bike, Daniel ran as fast as he could toward the main building. There were a few students still milling about outside, who stared in shock at the large trail of dust that erupted in his wake. If Daniel was one thing when in a hurry, it was inhumanly fast.

His hand grabbed the door handle and pulled out to open the door, and Daniel breathed heavily as he finally pulled lifted the front piece of his helmet, which opened up both visor and face guard. After getting directions, he made his way to the office and sighed as he walked in. "Excuse me," he intoned to one of the office staff. "Where do I got to pick of my class schedule? I just transferred in."

"Guidance Councilors, just down the hall," the man replied, almost not paying any attention. "What's your last name?"

"Stevens."

"You'll be seeing Mister Jansen then. First door on your right when you reach the corner."

Daniel quickly thanked the man, then walked briskly through the office. He hesitated in taking his helmet off, even though his ears were starting to hurt. A few people stared at his shining silvery-white hair that trailed behind him, reaching to his waist. He'd gotten used to that after fourteen years of being the way he was. He turned the corner, found the office he'd been informed of, and silently thanked the greater beings that the councilor was in there. "Mister Jansen?" he asked, the man inside giving a nod. "I'm Daniel Stevens, I just transferred in."

"Come in," Jansen replied with a smile, waving for Daniel to enter and take a seat. "Did you run all the way here?"

"Just from the parking lot," Daniel replied as he slipped off his backpack and set it next to the chair. "But, first day, and I don't wann'a be late..."

With a laugh, Jansen shook his head and started tapping keys on his computer. "I'll excuse you. Go ahead and take that helmet off while I look up your schedule."

Daniel hesitated. Would this man be so friendly once he got a look at those ears that the helmet was hiding? More over, did many of the administrators know about his condition? It was better to just get it over with, Daniel decided, and so he undid the chin strap and slipped the helmet off. Jansen looked over, then stared at the very obvious dog-ears that perched on top of Daniel's head. "I'd prefer you not stare too long," the boy said, his face flushing.

"Sorry," the councilor said as he shook his head and went back to looking up Daniel's class schedule. "I was told you have a mutation, but I didn't think it was that extreme." He was silent for a moment, then found the needed data just as the first bell rang. "We still need to fill out a couple classes," he said with a touch of concern. With a quick tap of the keyboard, Mister Jansen took a look at what classes still had open slots. "How does Video Production sound?"

That got Daniel's attention. "Fine with me," he quickly replied. He'd probably get stuck as cameraman, considering his looks didn't exactly lend well to the screen, but it was worth a shot.

"That's your fourth period filled, which leaves second though..." Scrolling through the list of classes, Jansen paused as he came to the foreign language classes. He took another look at the boy, then brought the cursor to one in particular. "I have a hunch," he intoned, "that Japanese might work."

The boy blinked a few times as that rang through his head again. "Japanese?" he questioned just as the second bell rang. "I can hardly understand the Spanglish they use at Taco Bell, let alone real Spanish. Why Japanese?"

In response, Jansen shrugged. "Always nice to branch out your horizons, isn't it? Plus, best to get those practical arts credits filled out so you're not scrambling on them down the road. You will be a month behind..." He paused for a moment, reflecting on that point. "But I'm sure you can find someone to help you catch up, and I have no doubt that Mister Watanabe won't mind taking a new student on, considering the circumstances."

Learning Japanese. He couldn't think of why that stood out, but it sounded alright. It most likely wouldn't be like the last time he'd been in public schools nine years ago. He might even actually make some real friends here! _That would be a first,_ Daniel said to himself. Sensei Ookami was always trying to get him to build up his self-esteem, and if he could make some friends now, that would probably do him a world of good. "Sure," he finally said aloud. "Though I'm not sure how quickly I can pick up on the language..."

With a few more keystrokes, Mister Jansen finished the schedule, then picked up his office phone and dialed a room extension. "Best let your teachers know," he quipped. After a pair of rings, there was a greeting from the other end. "Missus Gallagher? It's Kevin Jansen down in the office. I got a Daniel Stevens here who just transferred in and will be joining your fourth period Video Production class starting today. Yeah, I know, it's late in the year, but...uh-huh. Yeah, we just finished setting up his schedule, so, sorry for the short notice. Alright, that'll work out fine."

As he hung up, Mister Jansen dialed another extension while Daniel watched curiously. He'd heard every word from the other side of that conversation, though he wasn't sure if he wanted to let the councilor know that. He was already late for his first class, wherever on the campus that was, though Mister Jansen had said he'd excuse the tardy.

"Mister Watanabe, this is Kevin Jansen in the office," he greeted again. "I just wanted to clear a new student with you. Yeah, I know, but he's just transferred in, and we needed to fill a couple of his classes. What? Yeah, he'll be behind, but I'm sure he should be able to get some help from one of the other students to help catch him up, he's only a month or so behind. He'll be in your second period class, so, just add his name to the attendance sheet when he gets there. His name is Daniel Stevens, and he's impossible to miss. What does that mean? You'll see when he gets there. Alright, bye."

"Wanting me to be a surprise?" Daniel asked with a raised brow. "Or is there another reason you didn't tell him about what I look like?"

Jansen shrugged and hit a key to start printing out Daniel's schedule. "Well, Mister Watanabe is originally from Japan. He's also the teacher sponsor of the Anime Club here on campus, which goes without saying considering he teaches Japanese." The print-out finished, and he pulled the sheet from the printer and handed it to the boy. "Just head on up to your first class, I'll give your teacher a call to let her know why you're late."

Picking up his backpack from the ground and slipping it back over his shoulders, Daniel gave his thanks and headed out of the office and into the main building of the school. He noticed the odd looks a couple of administrators gave him, or more accurately, his ears, especially when those ears twitched to reveal that they weren't fake. Now, he headed up through the building, looking at his schedule for where his first class was. He was going to be later than he should be, considering he'd have to look around for the room in question.

"This is one hell of a way to start high school off," he muttered while walking up a set of steps and onto the second floor. It was a bit of a problem to be so lost in here, and it didn't help he'd not been to any kind of orientation at all, so, he had no idea where he was going. "Man, this figures!" Daniel sighed and headed down the hall, and it was another five or so minutes before he found the classroom he was looking for.

There was already a lesson going on as he carefully opened the door and peaked inside. _I'm so in trouble,_ he thought even as he entered. Everything stopped when the teacher paused and looked his way. Predictably, she began staring at his ears, then noticed his golden-yellow eyes and silvery-white hair. So was the rest of the class. "Uh...I'm Daniel. Sorry I'm so late, but I got lost."

She was silent as she was unable to process what she was looking at; a boy with dog ears on his head, eyes that were not humanly possible, and white hair. Finally, though, she shook off the shock and gestured to a seat on the window side of the room. "Amy, would you share your book with him?" she asked of the girl who was sitting in the desk next to where he parked himself.

He sighed, very upset at himself for having messed up so much already, and he hadn't even been there for an hour. The class probably thought he was a freak, and they weren't wrong, and he'd already made a bad impression on his first period teacher with how late he had been. He wasn't sure how this could get any wor-

Was someone playing with his ears!

"Are these things _real_?" the girl behind him asked curiously while she, of course, was tweaking his ears, oblivious to the fact he might not like it.

If he'd said to stop, she probably would have done so. If he said he didn't like it, she might have believe him and not done it again. But he'd have been grossly lying, because having his ears rubbed like that actually felt pretty nice. "Yeah," he whispered quietly. He noticed the teacher glare at the girl behind him, who quickly stopped playing with his ears and picked up her textbook again. So much for that.

* * *

About an hour later, while he was getting the cliff notes from the girl who had been sharing her textbook with him, Daniel heard the bell ring and sighed, both with relief and depression. "Thanks," he said to the girl, whose name was Amy, and packed up his papers. His English teacher, one Miss Michelle Travis, again accepted his apologies for being late, and handed him a copy of the class textbook. That quickly was slipped into his backpack, and Daniel made a mental note to see his councilor about a locker when he had a chance.

Just as he went out the door, he quickly turned back around. "Miss Travis," he began while making sure to stay clear of the incoming students. "Could you please tell me where room..." He looked at his schedule. "Three-fifteen is?"

"Just up the stairs and straight down the hall to your left," she replied. Her expression in regards to him actually softened a bit when she heard him ask so politely, not to mention how much he'd apologized his head off. "It'll be on the right side of the hallway."

Well, maybe he'd managed to fix that first impression after all. "Thank you so much," he said just before heading out of the classroom and down the hallway toward the stairwell. He had about three minutes to book it to his Japanese class, and he had to ignore the stares he got from just about everyone in reaction to his ears and hair.

About a minute before the second bell rang, he managed to find the room and get inside. Daniel didn't see any sign of the teacher, but the standard reaction to him was, of course, in action once again. Everyone, as they looked up to see who'd just arrived, stared in bewilderment at his ears and hair. He couldn't really blame them one bit, because how often did one see a kid with dog ears and hair like that?

He wasn't too sure which seats were taken, so, he moved to the far side of the room and settled for waiting for the teacher to show up. It wasn't long after the second bell rang that a tall Asian man walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He glanced around at the class, then saw Daniel waiting to see which desk he could claim. "_Inuyasha_..." he whispered, staring with wide eyes, but then shook his head. What he was looking at was impossible.

"My martial arts teacher calls me that too," Daniel replied softly. "I'm Daniel Stevens, Mister Jansen called you earlier about me and mentioned that you can't miss me."

"Ah, yes!" came the stuttered reply. Mister Watanabe glanced to his students and gestured for them to get to their desks. "I'm so sorry, it's just...you look like something out of the legends from my homeland."

Yes, that much he had figured out just from the word used. "Animalistic mutations," Daniel stated calmly. He weakly smiled, then headed to an empty desk in front of a girl with chestnut brown hair. Something seemed familiar about her as he took his seat, thought it was probably just the way she was staring at him. He got that a lot.

Mister Watanabe quickly took roll, looking for who was in which seat, since he'd long worked out a seating chart from where people had sat in the first few days, then noted Daniel on the bottom of the attendance sheet and set it on his desk. "I'd like to welcome our newest student," he began. "Class, say hello to Daniel Stevens."

"_Konnichi wa_, Daniel-san!"

Great, first time in the class, and he was completely lost as what was said, thought he had a feeling that it did translate to "hello" or "good morning." That and he'd seen Karate Kid enough times to get the "-san" part. "Uh, hi," came his terse reply.

"We'll get you a textbook later, Daniel. We're just about to start the first part of Shogun." Watanabe continued while he pulled out a DVD box and opened it. He glanced to the class while opening the DVD player and loading in the disc. "Be sure to keep notes, class. There's a lot on Japanese culture to be learned in this mini-series, and there will be a test." He noted the groans. "And I hope that at least some of you did as I suggested and read the novel. Oh, and if someone would start helping Daniel catch up during the movie, I'll excuse you from the test."

Predictably, at least six students raised their hands, but one stood out among them; the girl sitting behind Daniel. "I'll handle it!" she audibly volunteered. A few groans as Mister Watanabe nodded his approval just before he switched off the main lights and started the movie. She picked up her textbook and gestured for Daniel to join her at the back of the room. Even as he set down his backpack and sat at the round table, she just about squealed at him. "I cannot believe it!" she whispered excitedly. "Why didn't you ever call me when I moved back!"

He blinked. Did he know this girl? She looked a bit familiar, and he didn't mind her attention, since she was rather cute, but he couldn't place her face, nor her voice. That chestnut brown hair and those hazel eyes of hers sparked something in his memory though, even if he couldn't figure out what it was. "Have...we met before?" he questioned, not at all trying to hide his confusion. "I'm grateful for the help, but, I don't think I know you."

Now it was her turn to be confused. "You don't remember me?" she asked, actually sounding quite sad. "Danny, we knew each other in grade school."

Okay, now he was getting weirded out. "I never went through elementary school, not since kindergarten when..."

"Your mom pulled you out because of how much you were getting beaten up by other kids," the girl finished for him. It was like she knew exactly what he had been about to say. "I'm Lily Bennett, the girl you hung out with when we were five."

Again, he shook his head. The fact this girl knew about his past in elementary school was a bit creepy, and she genuinely acted like she had known him. But he couldn't remember anyone like her. Yes, the name rang a bell, but he couldn't quite...

And then he just about melted when she started scratching him behind the ears and rubbing them in just the right spot. That felt so good, he almost lost himself right then and there. "Don't stop that," he cooed, almost forgetting where he was.

"Now do you remember?" she quipped with a sly grin. "Or need I refresh your memory some more?"

"I don't know, will you keep doing that?"

She giggled. "Maybe later," the girl replied as she finally stopped playing with his ears and cracked open the text book. "You've missed about a month of class, it's gonn'a take a bit to catch you up."

There was a nod, and Daniel sighed as he got to work in what was probably a futile attempt to get caught up. Now that he really thought about it, she was very familiar, not to mention the fact she was really friendly with him and knew exactly where to rub his ears to get that reaction out of him. Maybe he had know her as a child, but then, why would he have forgotten someone like her? If she had been this friendly then, why was it he didn't have a coherent memory, and why hadn't they kept in touch?

Wait, there was something more to what he could remember, now that he was focusing on her, instead of the class curriculum like he should have been. She looked a lot younger now, in his mind, and her hair was a lot bouncier, with curls. And then there was the feeling that he was getting hungry. Wait, that was the fact he hadn't had anything to eat today. His own fault there.

"Danny? Are you even paying attention?"

He snapped out of his daze finally. "Huh, what?"

With a sigh, Lily pulled lightly on one of the side locks of hair that came down from where he would have had ears if he was a normal human. "Earth to Danny," she whispered. "I appreciate the attention, but you need to focus on catching up on a month's worth of work, _not_ oogling me."

"I wasn't oogling," he replied. "I was just..."

"Staring off into space at me," came the amused statement. "Nine years since he last saw me, and already he's got a waterfall nosebleed." Lily giggled a bit while writing something down on a piece of paper. "Wonder what mom and dad would think if I told them 'he followed me home, can I keep him?'"

For a moment, Daniel wasn't sure if he'd just been complimented or insulted. He decided to hope on the former. "My nose isn't bleeding," he said, though he rubbed there just to make sure. Yep, no nosebleed. "And I'm not that bad."

The girl rolled her eyes at him, then finally pulled on that same side lock and got his attention on the textbook and not her. While she wanted nothing more than to catch up with Daniel on what had happened to them in the past nine years since they had last saw each other, it was more important to get him caught up with _school_. Besides, they had about twenty minutes of brunch after class, and then there was after school. Lily made a mental note to find out where Daniel's fourth and sixth periods were so she could find him later.

"I am so lost."

Figured. "Danny, you're reading where we're at, of course you don't get it!" Lilly sighed and turned the book back to the first page. "Start with the basics, _baka_."

"What's a 'bah-kah'?"

This was going to take a while.


	6. Chapter 5

As the bell rang, Mister Watanabe hit the stop button on the DVD remote and watched as his students milled out of the classroom. "We'll pick up tomorrow and have a test on Wednesday, so make sure you kept good notes or have a copy of the movie to refresh your memory with." He glanced over as Daniel and Lily started packing up and gestured for them to wait a bit before leaving. "How goes bringing him up to speed?"

"He's not going to make it in time to be watching the movie this week," Lily stated sourly, she and Daniel standing up at their teacher's desk. "I'd say, maybe a couple weeks and he might be caught up, but that's with nothing but study and if he's lucky. He's caught onto pronunciation fast though."

Watanabe nodded while he shifted through some papers on his desk, then headed out, the two students following him into the hall. "Well, if I give you the assignment of getting him caught up by the time we finish Shogun, can you do it?"

Uncertainty flickered in the girl's eyes. "I can probably get him mostly caught up by then, but I don't know about up to where we are."

There was a sigh, but Watanabe nodded. "It'll have to do," he finally said while he locked the classroom door behind them. "Do as much as you can, and if you can help him study after school, do it."

"_Hai, Sensei_ Watanabe."

Pulling Daniel along, Lily sighed and had to resist hitting him over the head with her backpack. "If you'd have paid attention to the book and not my face, you'd have been moving along a lot faster!" she hissed. When he gave that look of a guilty apology, she decided to give him a scratch behind his right ear, being that it was the closest one in reach. And then she heard his stomach growl. "Hungry already?"

"I didn't get to eat today before running out the door," he muttered. "Slept in a bite late."

Well, that partly explained why he had a hard time concentrating. "Come on," she said while grabbing him by the arm and pulling the boy along down the staircase to the main floor. "Let's get you something to eat before people really think you're a dog."

He almost retorted to that comment, but he was a bit too hungry to argue. So, being pulled by his arm to the cafeteria, Daniel did as much as he could to ignore the stares he was getting from other students. Just as before, a number of them started playing with his ears to see if they were real, most of them girls. They tended to get driven off by the nasty glares Lily began dealing out, and Daniel wasn't quite sure why she was being so possessive of him. So they were curious. It was a lot better than how he used to be treated.

He was about to buy something to eat after Lily got a group of burritos, but then was dragged out before he could get his own food. "But, I-"

"My treat," she replied, handing him the trio of burritos. "You can repay me later."

He quickly unwrapped one of the burritos just as his stomach growled again and started munching away. "Thanks," he mumbled through his chewing. He swallowed, then took another large bite. "So, why are you being so nice after I completely forgot about you for the past several years?"

"I seem remember you having better manners than that, even at five," she muttered. When he suddenly swallowed his food with an embarrassed expression, Lily couldn't help but giggle. Yes, Daniel was mostly just as she remembered. She decided to let him get away with talking with his mouth full due to the fact he had to be starving. "As to your lack of attempts to get in touch with me, I probably should blame myself too, since I didn't know if you were even living in the area when we moved back a few years ago." She smiled. "Dad decided to go into business for himself, and we came back once he got an office leased and got things all nice and cozy."

He nodded, now remembering how Lily's influence in his life had been cut off. "That and I some how completely forgot about you," Daniel stated with an embarrassed face. He finished off the first of his burritos, then opened up the second one and started munching again. "I feel like a jerk for that."

He suddenly gave a very puppy-like _yip_ when something struck his rear, and he realized that it had been Lily. She was being rather cozy with him already, after volunteering to help his with class, making him about melt into putty by knowing how to play with his ears, buying him breakfast, and now slapping his butt. Was she coming onto him?

"And I've been worried that you were going to turn out to be like the guy you look like," Lily quipped. She noticed than Daniel had stopped walking, turned around, and saw that he had a very shocked look on his face. "Something wrong?"

"The guy I look like?" he repeated, unsure still if he'd heard that right. "You know someone else with my mutation?"

Now it was Lily's turn to look confused. "Not an actual person, but..." Realization dawned on her, as odd as it was to believe that conclusion. "Wait, you mean you don't know?" He shook his head. Lily now had the oddest expression of disbelief. How could Daniel _not_ know about that? "Daniel," she continued while now pulling him along through the hall. "Didn't you figure out why those girls wanted to play with your ears?"

"Because they're wondering if they're real or not?"

Yeah, he didn't have a clue as to the real reason. "Besides that," she chimed. When Daniel pulled out his schedule, she realized that it was almost time for brunch to end. That would be their luck. She glanced over to see where his next class was, then grinned and pulled him down the hall. "Perfect, we have Mod Civ together!" came her excited squeal. "And Video! Oh, I have to introduce you to Kyle and Stephanie! They're going to flip out when they meet you!"

"Slow down!" he sputtered out while trying to finish his second burrito. "How are you in Mod Civ, that's a sophomore course!" Okay, so he'd pulled off having been skipped his freshman year because of all the extra attention he got from home schooling that helped him on the placement tests. But why was Lily in that class with him, she was a freshman.

"Same reason I figure you are," she replied. "I got skipped a grade."

Alright, things were getting a bit freaky. Either it was really just coincidence, or the universe was having a massive laugh at his expense. "You got skipped freshman year too?"

She smiled. "Actually, I got skipped fifth grade, so I was a freshman last year." It was then Lily paused and looked at the gaze in his eyes while she finally slowed down. "Wait, how did you get skipped, and why are you in high school? You were going to do home schooling when I moved."

He blushed and settled for opening up his last burrito to finish off breakfast. That didn't work, since Lily now was glaring at him for an answer. He gulped down what he'd been chewing on, then smiled weakly. "Placement tests," he finally answered. "Mom decided to put me back in school, and they gave me a bunch of tests to see where I should go. Turns out all that extra attention I got covered the requirements of what I would have learned as a freshman." Munch, munch. "Mind you, she was worried to death about me going right back to what I left, but, hey, that's why she stuck me in martial arts classes." A pause so he could eat down the rest of his burrito. "That reminds me, my test for black belt is coming up."

There was that squeal again as they stopped outside the classroom. "You're going to be a _black_ belt!" Lily exclaimed. She noticed then that he was gesturing for her to keep it down. Good reason too, a few people were staring at her as they walked by. Alright, they were staring more at Daniel, but she got a few glances from her outburst. "Sorry. Seriously, you're going to be a black belt? How the hell did you do that?"

"Nine years straight of training, and you don't think I'd pull that off?"

That was true, but from what Lily could remember, Daniel was the most nonviolent person she knew. He'd never thrown a single punch in his life when she'd known him as a kid. Had he changed that much since they'd last seen each other? Now that she thought about it, Lily noticed that Daniel's frame was rather sleekly toned, or what she could see of it. Nine years had turned that little puppy boy into _this_? "Wow," she whispered while her mind now began imagining what he had to look like in action. "In a million years, I'd never have imagined you being a martial artist."

"And dragging it off subject of what reason you have for why those girls were tweaking my ears," he stated, now remembering what they had been talking about. "You said that I look like someone else you know, someone else who had the same condition as me."

Oh, yeah. That's right, she had been about to tell him before she'd peeked at his class schedule. "Uh, I'll tell you about it in Video," she finally replied after thinking for a few moments. "Kyle's the one who has the mangas with him, while I think Steph said she was gonn'a loan me the newest fansubs."

And Daniel was just as lost as he had been when trying to start catching up in Japanese. "Man-what and fan-huh?"

"Japanese comics," Lily explained while they waited outside the classroom door. "Kyle's grandparents on his dad's side are from Japan, so he goes back there every now and then to visit the rest of his family and brings back goodies for the rest of us."

"And what are fan...subs?"

_You have got to be kidding me,_ the girl groaned in her thoughts. Granted, Daniel had been removed from the school system for nine years, but if she had any reliable memories of his parents, they were hardly the type to shelter him, especially that much. "Fansubs are fan produced translations of animes from Japan." She paused. "You do know what anime is, right?"

"I'm not _that_ ignorent," he replied quickly to defend himself. "Stuff like Gundam and Dragonball, right?"

"And Princess Mononoke, and Trigun, and, more importantly in regards to your case, InuYasha."

"Demon Dog?"

Lily raised a brow. Daniel actually did know what the name translated to. "Yeah...how did you know what InuYasha means?"

"Sensei Ookami calls me that," Daniel answered while he noticed a tall man with short cut brown hair walking over to open the class door. "He told me what it means, though, he did say it technically means 'Female Demon Dog'."

This sounded very odd. "Your martial arts teacher's family name is 'Wolf'?" Lily questioned as they walked into the class and the first bell rang to signal the end of brunch. "What's his first name?"

"Kouga, he's from Japan."

Other than the immediate recognition, Lily ran that through her head to translate. "Ookami Kouga... 'Graceful Wolf'?"

Considering he'd never been told just what Senesi Ookami's name meant, Daniel had to assume that Lily knew what she was talking about. "I guess... That actually would be a really good description of him too, especially since the school he runs is Wolf's Den."

"Could you take the fake ears off in class?"

Daniel turned back to the teacher. Someone, for once, had assumed his ears weren't real. "Um, if I could, I'd probably be a much happier person, but..." No use explaining really, so Daniel twitched his ears to show that they were not some head piece, but real and connected to his head. That got an interesting reaction from the teacher. "I've got a rare mutation condition, these things are real."

"Ah," the man replied after a few moments of shock. "So sorry about that then...you the new student?"

A nod. "Just started today," Daniel said while he felt an itch build up behind his left ear. He'd get it later, after talking with his Mod Civ teacher. "I'm Daniel Stevens, mister..." He paused, looked at his schedule, then blushed at not having bothered to read the teacher's name. "Kuhlman."

With a nod, Kuhlman glanced at the roll sheet on his desk, then scribbled Daniel's name in. "Just grab a desk, I'll get you a book later and see if we can catch you up." he shook his head, still in a bit of shock. "Real dog ears..."

"I get that a lot," the boy muttered while he and Lily sat down at a pair of desks. He sighed, though was pleasantly surprised that his day had actually gone so well thus far. People actually found his looks to be interesting rather than something to rip him apart over, though he did get the feeling it wouldn't be like that with everyone. No doubt, there was someone just like those jerks who would beat him up back when he was a kid.

Oh yeah, that itch. He reached up to scratch it, but Lily moved quicker and caught it for him. Well, that solved that problem. "Thanks," he said. Daniel sighed as he sat back, then noticed that Lily hadn't stopped scratching his ear. "Uh, you can stop now," he intoned.

"Spoil sport," came her pouty response. She pulled her hand away, then reached into her backpack for her Mod Civ book. When she looked up to see the rest of the students start filling into the classroom, Lily excitedly waved her hands to who Daniel assumed were some of her friends. "Katie, Rachael, over here!" she called. No sooner had the pair of girls taken their seats next to them than one of them started playing with his ears. That got him wishing people would stop finding his ears so fascinating in this way, and Lily once more resumed the use of the glare of death. He didn't understand why she was being so protective of him; after all, those were his ears that were being toyed with, not _hers_.

And once more, he was forced to attempt trying to catch up on everything he'd missed in the past two months. He wondered why he'd been dropped into things two months after the semester had started, being that now, he had a horde to attempt making up. More to the point, why had his mom waited until the year was half over? Knowing her, she'd been paranoid about the idea of him going back to public school.

Maybe it was just him, thinking that the universe was having a good laugh at his expense. That would be a bright spot on the nightmare that had been his life; being the butt of some cosmic joke. It was probably better not to dwell on it.

* * *

As they headed down the halls toward the video room, Daniel noticed the growing stares at his ears, and how much Lily was hissing at any other girls who tried to get a hold of those ears. While he did appreciate how much she kept roving hands off his head, he couldn't help but notice that she was being a little too over-protective of him. "Keep that up," he muttered, "and people are liable to think you're my girlfriend or something."

"And you find something wrong with that thought?" came an angry growl after she'd just warded off another of the students from Daniel's ears. He winced, almost hurt from that withering glare she gave him at that moment. "It's not like you're liable to stick up for yourself against those hussies."

A shrug as he hefted his helmet back over his shoulder. "I just don't see what the big deal is," Daniel replied while they went up the stairs. "The way I see it, it's better that they find something likable about my condition, as opposed to throwing a rope around my neck and dragging me around."

Lily only snorted as her response to that point. "You're enjoying the attention too much. One would think you have something on your mind from how much you seem to enjoy those girls toying with your ears."

"And what's that supposed to-" Daniel stopped in mid-sentence as he caught onto what Lily was insinuating. "Hey! I'm not like that, and you know it!" He paused again, not reaching up to scratch his left ear. "I'm not that much like a dog."

She didn't turn to respond, but he could swear that Lily was laughing at his remark. That reminded him, she'd promised to explain what she'd been talking about earlier. "By the way," he continued as they neared the video room. "Mind explaining now that whole 'guy who looks like you' comment back at brunch?"

"It's better if I showed you," Lily replied while she opened classroom door and led him in.

It wasn't as packed as he'd imagined. About eighteen or so students, give or take, leaving plenty of room to find a spot. Along the back wall were a row of about a dozen dual level VCRs for editing, each one with a small TV atop it. There was another room, adjoined by a side door, which Daniel assumed was a video studio of sorts. All in all, very nice indeed.

"Oi, Yuuri-chan!"

"Wah, Kyle-kun!" Lily grabbed Daniel by the arm, yet again, and dragged him across the room while ignoring the stares she got for being so hyper, and that Daniel got for his hair and ears. With Daniel now planted in a desk, Lily took her own next to her pair of friends. "Daniel, this is Kyle and Stephanie. Guys, this is Daniel, the guy I told you about last year."

He looked them over. Kyle appeared to be taller than him, with blackish-brown hair that was at least as long as down to his neck joint from the ponytail that was tied back, and brown eyes that looked like fresh tilled earth. He looked to be of Aisan descent, but he definitely had European lineage as well, considering how much wider his eyes were, and the lighter tone of his skin.

The girl sitting next to him, Stephanie, had bark brown hair that was tied back in a bun, and green eyes that looked like the sea. She had a small necklace on, as well as a silver ring on her right hand. Now that Daniel noticed that point, he saw that Kyle had a matching ring on his own hand. Signs pointed toward these two being a couple.

Taking hold of one of Daniel's sidelocks, Kyle looked at it in amazement before glancing to the doggish ears atop his head. "You weren't kidding," he finally commented after feeling those ears. "He's the genuine article."

Genuine article of what was what Daniel wanted to know, and had been about to ask when Stephanie started tweaking his ears. Oddly, Lily didn't flip out on her for it, though it was probably because Stephanie was already taken, and she obviously was curious. "He's so friggin' cute!" the older girl commented before glancing to Lily. "Can I borrow him?"

"If you weren't my friend," Lily growled while shaking a fist. It was then she sighed. "I've had to keep people off of him because of those ears. Which reminds me. Kyle, you have your mangas, because I didn't bring mine, and Danny doesn't have a clue what the big fuse over how he looks is about."

Looking at Daniel in disbelief, Kyle scratched the back of his own head. "You're kidding me," he remarked before then reaching into his backpack and pulling out a couple of paperback books that had yellow covers. "I'd think he'd have found out before now."

"Found out about what?"

The older boy held out one of the mangas to Daniel, who slowly took it and looked at the front of the cover, now staring in shock; that was him! Or at least, a character drawn to greatly resemble him. But, that didn't make sense, who would use his appearance as a basis for a comic character? And why was he wearing those weird pinkish robes? "How...who...the hell..."

"That would be what I was thinking when I heard about you," Kyle replied, though now he was smiling. He glanced to Lily and gave a shrug that acted like an apology for doubting what she had said before. "He's the real deal, thought I seriously doubt that he's half-_youkai_."

A giggle from Lily. What was a youkai, and what was so funny about it? "He is adopted," she stated while she ran a hand through his hair. "So, you never know, he just might be a _hanyou_."

"What and what?" Daniel quipped before it got anymore confusing. "What's a...yo..."

"_Youkai_." Kyle was first to answer, and Lily let him continue, since he knew more about the subject in question than she did. "It translates into spirit or ghost, though some people translate it as 'demon'. A _hanyou_ is a half-breed, born from a union between a mortal and a _youkai_." He pointed to the character on the cover of the manga. "That's InuYasha, he's a _hanyou_, who's father was a great dog _youkai_ lord."

He started flipping through the manga, noticing very quickly just what the character who was his fictional clone was like in terms of attitude and personality. "Does that generally include going on a rampage and being a maniac?" he asked as he looked up from the book.

Kyle shrugged. "He's something of an arrogant berk at first, but-"

The second bell rang then, and the teacher, from her desk, gave the call for things to calm down. "Alright, listen up!" she exclaimed as soon as everyone was quiet. "I want your project outlines done by the end of class today. Remember, commercial projects are due this Friday, so no goofing off!" She quickly began taking roll, then noticed that there was someone extra in the room. "You with the ears," she called. "You the new guy?"

"Yeah," Daniel replied, then quickly decided to head the usual reactions off now. "And before anyone asks, yes, the ears are real."

Okay, judging from the amount of squealing girls, maybe letting them know that he had real dogs ears wasn't the best idea. Oh good, there was Lily with her glare of death at anyone who had the audacity to beg for tweaking rights. Really, were his ears that huge a thing to teenage girls?

Missus Gallagher raised a brow, but didn't continue on the subject. "You're a couple months behind, kid. I hope you can find a group who-"

"He's with us!" came the simultaneous three-way cry from Kyle, Stephanie, and Lily. Maybe getting drafted by these three wasn't such a great idea, considering how odd they already seemed to be.

Again, Missus Gallagher raised a brow in response. "You have my sympathies," she quipped to Daniel as she finished marking the attendance sheet. "As for you three, I better not be getting any last minute concepts after you've blown all the rest of your time on making copies of your anime."

"Hey, that was club related, and I was cleared by Mister Watanabe for that!" Kyle replied, though his tone of voice indicated that the remarks were more playful bantering than serious warnings. "And yes, we've got a project plan." He smiled as the teacher gave him a warning look, then turned back to his group. "So, do we have anything other than the back-up of a 'InuYasha on Adult Swim' promo?"

The girls shook their heads. Not even ten minutes in the class, and already Daniel feared for his grades, rightfully so as well. "Na-dah, though, you didn't exactly help me focus on the project either last night."

_I don't wann'a know,_ Daniel mused as he glanced at Stephanie. He looked to Lily, who sighed dejectedly. _This is not good. They better not expect me to have any ideas._

And then the universe realized that it was slacking off at the job of making Daniel's life interesting, and poked the idea into Kyle's head that was needed to get things rolling along again. "I can't do the voice for Inu if we do the promo idea, and there's not much else we really have. We could always do the 'possessed fast food wars' idea..."

"InuYasha promo sounds good to me," the girls said at the same time. It was now that they all looked at Daniel expectedly.

Blink. "Uh, I don't like the way you guys are looking at me."

Kyle smiled, then glanced over to Missus Gallagher. "Hey, is it okay if we use the studio room for a bit? We need to let the newbie do a little audition for something."

"I better not catch you guys pulling his pants off or something like that! There's to be no kiddie porn in my class!"

Okay, if he hadn't been before, _now_ he was worried. "Should I..."

"In here, pup," Lily said as she pulled him into the next room. Kyle waggled his eyebrows at Stephanie, who simply sighed, brought her backpack and the mangas, and followed the rest of the group into the studio. "Alright, Monk. Give him the audition."

There was a big grin on Kyle's face as he searched through the manga and opened it to a spot. "Here, read this, and try to imagine that you're InuYasha." Again, he chuckled. "Shouldn't be too hard for him."

His eyes scanned over the pages, trying to find a good line, and then, he gagged. "You want me to act like _him_!" Daniel exclaimed in shock. "No way!"

"What's wrong with Inu?" Kyle asked while looking at the manga.

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong; he looks just like me, and is a arrogant, self-absorbed, spoiled jerk!"

The three stared at Daniel in surprise. That kind of response had been unexpected, though at least the fact that InuYasha looked just like him didn't create any bias on the subject. "I wouldn't go that far," Stephanie muttered while she gave a weak smile. "But that does generally describe him for the first few volumes."

"Barring that little opinion on Doggy Boy," Kyle stated as he looked at Daniel in amazement. "Holy crap, you weren't kidding, Lil. He sounds just like Yamaguchi Kappei!"

Blink, blink. Who did what where now and for how many cookies? "Yah-mah-what?"

"InuYasha's voice actor in Japan," Stephanie explained, but she too noticed just how dead perfect he'd sounded in that little outburst. He'd even had the tone of voice flawlessly. "He actually sounds like Richard too...except not a jerk twenty-four seven when covering the British accent."

Kyle shook his head after a moment. "A bit, but he sounds more like Chris than Richard."

Okay, now he had no idea at all who there were talking about. "Chris and Richard?" he said, his eyes blinking in confusion. "People you know, or more voice actors?"

The older boy smiled as he took back his manga. "A bit of both, actually," he replied while glancing to Lily. "We haven't met Richard Cox, but Chris was at Nan Desu Kan last year."

"Last con he went to before he went up to Canada and got hired by Ocean," Stephanie mumbled. "Lucky bastard, has that voice war with Scott and gets to work with him and the Dobsons..."

A smile as Kyle patted his girlfriend on the shoulder. "He said he'd try and keep coming even as just a regular attendee," he said to console her. "And he did send me an e-mail saying he'd try to be at SakuraCon this year, but he's not sure if he'll make it."

"That's right. Who did they decide on for InuYasha's voice in English?" Lily asked as she finally got herself back into the conversation. "I figured that Richard would have been a shoe in because he dubbed Ranma, but there was word Chris might get the slot."

"Chris was heading out to Japan for the next several months, that's why he's not sure he'll make it to SakurakCon," Kyle replied quickly. "Apparently he got an offer from Nintendo on some big project, so he'd probably out of the run."

She snapped her fingers in dismay. "Bugger, I was hoping he'd be English Inu," she muttered. "He's better at not sounding like a jerk all the time."

"It's been how long since Richard did Ranma?" Kyle said to remind her. "He's probably gotten better since then, though Chris would probably do a good job. We did nickname him 'Mini-McNeil' for a reason."

"I thought that was Scott who called him that."

Ears twitching while he found himself not knowing at all what they were talking about, Daniel settled for sighing and leaning against the wall. What had Lily gotten him into, anyway? Her friends seemed to be nuts about a bunch of Japanese cartoons and comics, particularly this one that had someone who looked like him, but acted nothing at all like him. Who wrote this comic anyway? If he got the chance, he was going to have a few words for them about that.

He finally realized that the three had stopped talking about anime conventions and which voice actors they preferred doing what roles. He looked up to see that their attention was now trained solely on him. "Uh, why are you guys looking at me like that again?"

A wicked smile appeared on Kyle's face. "Yuuri-chan," he intoned as he shifted his gaze to Lily. "How long do you think it would take to make a good Inu costume for him, kimono and all?"

He didn't like the gleam that was in her eyes. What were they planning for him now? "A few weeks, maybe a month," she replied calmly. "I'd need him over a lot for fitting it to him though, and we'd need to get a Testusaiga built, preferably a boffer so con security doesn't flip out."

Daniel gulped as he listened to whatever they were plotting. He wasn't completely sure what it was, but he got the feeling it entailed dressing him up like this InuYasha character, something he wasn't too keen on at the moment. "Can the sacrifice be informed what he's being offered to?" the boy squeaked out while his ears drooped down.

A hand found itself on his shoulder. "Trust me," Kyle stated while he looked back at the girls, who seemed to be sharing evil ideas just by eye contact. "You're gonn'a love this."

"I was afraid you'd say that..."


	7. Chapter 6

Once more standing in line to get food, Daniel glanced back to see that Lily was still talking with Stephanie, while Kyle was simply shaking his head. He wasn't sure he liked the ideas they were throwing back and forth, considering they involved him half the time, which made them more terrifying in his opinion. Well, that and how much Lily seemed to flip out should anyone dare to think of tweaking his ears without her permission. Was every girl in the school a fan of that InuYasha comic! 

"It's probably got nothing to do with the manga," Kyle remarked as they finally got to the counter and bought their lunch. He could tell what Daniel had been pondering in regards to the fascination with his ears that the female population of the school seemed to have. "First rule about girls that I've learned; if it's cute, they _will_ flock to it." He glanced back at Stephanie and Lily. "Second rule; girls are crazy." 

"We heard that!" 

He grinned and shrugged when the pair glared at him. "Third rule; they will have us guys on a short leash whenever possible, and wrap us around their fingers." 

"That's better." 

So, Lily was trying to hook him on a leash of her own? Not even a whole day of catching up on nine years apart, and already she was claiming him as hers. Daniel found his hand rubbing his neck almost on reflex, then sighed and grabbed his food from the lunch counter. It was probably bad memories from his childhood. 

He tilted his head up as he thought he smelled something. It was odd, something off from normal. He could smell the food back in the cafeteria, he could smell everyone else, he could smell Lily...wow, okay, remember not to focus on _that_ scent again when at school. He just about lost it there. 

But there was something else. It smelled vaguely familiar, like he'd known it long ago and hadn't gotten a whiff of it in a long time, something that smelled like... 

"Oh no," Daniel whispered as he finally realized what it was. "No, no, no, not him!" 

Lily glanced over to the boy. "What is it?" 

His ears were just about bristling with anxiety and he looked around for the source of that scent. "Please tell me that Devin and his jerk brother Greg don't go to school here." 

Puzzlement, then realization as Lily remembered who he was talking about. "Damnit," she hissed before grabbing Daniel and pulling him along. "Keep those ears down!" 

"Where are you two going?" Kyle asked as he blinked in surprised, though he had that devious grin on his face. "The janitor's office is the other-" 

"Now is not the time, Kyle!" Lily snapped as she turned back for a moment. "Greg's on his way over here, and take a wild guess why!" 

No, this wasn't good at all. Kyle and Stephanie knew about the Harris boys and their tendency to be the head of the school bullies, and Lily had told them all about how those two were the reason Daniel left public schools. If they'd heard about a certain white haired, dog-eared boy who just started today and was getting the attention of all the girls at school... 

And there were the men of disaster right now, strutting through the crowds like they were the kings of the world. Arrogant little jerks to the core, and Kyle had no doubt they'd always been that way. They probably came from a long line of people just like them, if all the indications he'd gotten off those two were right. "Stay with Danny and Lily," he said to Stephanie. "This might get ugly if Greg and his brother go after him." 

She nodded and headed off to follow the two teenagers in question while Kyle simply unwrapped his burger and started eating. His eyes trailed the Harris brothers, however, making sure they didn't go after Daniel. It seemed like they might just keep in their trail towards the lunch room and completely...nope, they were changing course to angle after Daniel. Well there went that measure of hope. "This is not good," he muttered while now moving to follow the Harris brothers. If any of their gang got involved as well, all bets were off, and there was no doubt that Greg would pick a fight with Daniel. From what Lily had told them, Daniel was hardly one to be able to hold his own in a fight. Then again, that had been nine years ago... 

"I didn't know we had a dog pound here!" 

Oh yeah, Greg had just caught up with Daniel. This was going to get ugly. 

Daniel tried to ignore the older boy, but someone stood in his way and grinned at him and Lily. He judged that it was one of Greg's infamous gang. "Could you get out of our way?" he intoned calmly. The boy didn't respond, but simply took a step toward him. Ears went up, and he started bristling. "Let me rephrase that; _get out_ of my way, that better?" 

"He doesn't listen to mutts that aren't on a leash," came that insulting voice again. It was nine years older, deeper and more rough, but it was still one he could not forget. He'd come to hate the memory of that voice and its owner for a long time now. Even worse, that smell was really getting on his nerves, and it was still getting closer. "So when did you get let out of the kennel, Doggy Daniel? They decide to set you free after neutering you?" 

He was so _not_ in the mood for this right now. Greg was going to run his whole day, probably try ruining his life again. "Nine years," Daniel began as he turned around, his ears standing up stiffly. "You still can't grow up, can you, Greg?" 

"He remembers," the boy replied while giving a sadistic grin. "That's a good boy...oh, and once again, it's little Lily who's going to hold your leash." He narrowed his eyes at the girl and took another step closer to her. "You know, bestiality is not only illegal, but a major sin as well. I hear some countries will cut your tits off and burn out your-" 

There was a deep growl from in Daniel's throat as he gritted his teeth and started flexing his hands almost on instinct. While he lacked the claws he would probably have grown back in a few days, his teeth resembled canine fangs, which made a bit up for the lack of his claws. "Watch your filthy mouth, Greg," came the snarl. 

Greg snorted as he turned his attention back to Daniel. "And what are you going to do," he spat in disgust. "Bark at me? Start foaming at the mouth because you've got rabies?" He smiled again, malice in his eyes. "That would be just the excuse Animal Control needs to put you down. In fact..." Greg started cracking his knuckles and pulled back his sleeves. "I think I'll do that right now." 

Daniel didn't even dodge when Greg threw that punch, but his left arm came up and deftly swat the blow away. Another punch flew, but it was the same, Daniel's hand pushing away the attack. "I've had nine years, you jerk," he growled while he took a step back and deflected another swing. "While you wasted your time picking on everyone else, I was learning the _real_ way to fight, which doesn't involve trying to beat the snot out of the other guy." 

With a snort as he swung again, Greg stumbled as his attack was once more pushed away. "So you're even more of a pussy now than you were then!" he yelled. "At least back then, you took it like a man! Now you just do all this pansy-ass shit of dodging and pushing it away!" 

There wasn't even a response from Daniel to dignify the remarks. He just brought his leg up when Greg started kicking, then caught a following punch in the palm of his hand and tilted his head as Greg stared in surprise. "You forget," he whispered. "When the teachers ask the witnesses what happened, they'll inform them that you did all the fighting, and I didn't throw even a single punch." He smiled when that realization dawned on Greg. "All I have done is block and defend, not attack. As such, I'm in the clear. You on the other hand, are not." 

His eyes burned with anger at how this freak has outsmarted him, and without a thought as to the consequences, Greg brought his other arm around, barely missing when Daniel's head pulled back and he let go of Greg's fist. And right when he was about to tackle the dog-eared boy, Greg heard a shout that wasn't one of the students. "Ah, shit..." 

"What the hell is going on here!" came the angry yell as a campus supervisor pushed his way through the crowd. He took one look at Greg, noticed his balled up fists, then at Daniel, who caught him as more unusual than Greg not having someone on the ground as a result of his fights. Considering neither boy had a mark on him, however, he decided to wait on that. "I should have known it was you, Harris," the man spat. He glared around at the crowd, his indication for them to disperse. It was then that he turned his attention to Daniel. "But you, I don't know. And what is with those fake ears you're wearing?" 

The ears twitched as Daniel brushed his hair from over his eyes. "Sorry sir, but they're unfortunately real," he replied while the man stared at him. "And I just started today, though I hope you don't have to know me as well as you probably know him." 

Another growl from Greg. "Would you stop being such a smartass, you freak!" he roared just as he tried to take another swing at Daniel. School staff or not, he wanted to lay it into the boy, but when it came to a toss up between his target catching the attack or the supervisor, it was Daniel who made the defense first to brush him away, and the supervisor who came between them. 

"I wann'a know who did what!" he stated, looking around to the hordes of obvious witnesses. "Speak up, now!" 

Well, there went the squeals of the girls in the audience, who were blathering on how he'd been so wronged and unjustly attacked and was only defending himself. While they overdid it quite a bit, it got the point across once they were forced to stop rambling all a once; he hadn't thrown a single punch. That probably wouldn't help if he trusted the feeling he got from this man. Daniel got the impression that he was going to be dragged off to the office regardless of the fact he'd done nothing wrong, just because he was a mutation. 

"Both of you, follow me." 

Yep, he was going to get the blame of all this laid on him. May as well not make a stink, since he could explain what happened, and hopefully, his friends would come to he office in his defense. Greg on the other hand... 

And ten minutes later, he sat in the principal's office, sure he was going to get the brunt of any punishments just because of his mutation. Was it any wonder he'd prefer to be a normal human like everyone else? Daniel ran the possibilities through his mind of what was going to happen. Suspension, most likely, though he had a feeling it was probably gonn'a be worse than that just for the sake of it. 

"I'm told that you seem to have a problem with Mister Harris," the principal stated as she tapped at the arm of her chair. "Mind letting me know what happened?" 

Oh, good. He had a chance to defend himself here. "I actually didn't do anything, ma'am," he replied calmly. "And as I'm pretty sure one or more of the other students can tell you, I didn't attack him at all." Daniel paused then, thinking perhaps he should give some explanation of why Greg had attacked him. "Greg just doesn't like me, not since nine or so years ago." 

She glanced at him with an odd expression. "You two have had problems like this since grade school?" 

"Actually, I was pulled out and home schooled since I was five. But yes, it was like this back then, except I couldn't do anything about it." Again, Daniel paused. "I'm pretty sure if you looked up what little school records I have from then, you'll find that I've never instigated problems." 

The woman frowned. The incident report noted that witnesses said Daniel hadn't done a thing to provoke the attack, nor had he retaliated, only dodged and defended. But since he didn't have much of a school history, it was hard to judge if he was really always this calm and non-aggressive. And then there were those ears of his, and those odd eyes. But he did seem rather polite and respectful. "All statements indicate that you did indeed do nothing to break any school rules," she began while again tapping the armrest of her chair. "I have a feeling however that, short of expelling Mister Harris for this and other such incidents, we'll be dealing with this quite a bit." A sigh as she thought it over. "I'm going to let you go for now, but if and when this continues, you had best continue responding the way you did today, is that understood?" 

He nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am," Daniel said as he got up out of his seat. He picked up his backpack and helmet, which had his lunch stowed inside of it, and left the office while breathing a sigh of relief. Instinct told him that Greg Harris was not going to be happy with the fact that he was probably going to get suspended, while Daniel walked away clean. 

And, as he thought, Lily, Kyle, and Stephanie were waiting right outside the office. "What happened?" they said in unison while he proceeded to pull his lunch out of his helmet and finally get to eating it. 

"Greg about to be pissed and probably suspended," he replied while munching away at his chicken sandwich. "More so pissed off that nothing happened to me save a warning to just do what I did today if and when this happens again." He grinned, for once very pleased that his tactics had worked. "This is why I don't fight." 

Kyle grinned and slapped him on the back in congratulations. "Always good to find someone else who looks for other ways than fighting," he said before looking up at the clock. "Damnit, we've only got five minutes before lunch is over. Where's your next class?" 

He pulled out his schedule and checked his fifth period. "Um, Mister Bernard's Biology." 

"Cappuccino Man." 

"Huh?" 

With a grin, Kyle patted Daniel on the shoulder and nudged him along. "You'll see when we get there. I'm Mister Bernard's TA, so I'll help you get caught up." He glanced to the girls. "Best get going, I'll make sure her find you after school, Yuuri." 

Three classes with Lily, one so far with Kyle, and he had a suspicion that Stephanie was probably in his sixth period class. "The universe is playing a weird joke on me," he muttered while he let Kyle lead him along into the halls. "Why am I stuck with you people!" 

"Consider it the universe trying to tell you something," came Kyle's response as they headed up the stairs. "By the way, speaking of trying to tell you something, either you're trying to ignore it, or you're just as dense as the Dog Boy himself." 

What was he talking about? Dense about what? "I don't know if I follow," came the boy's reply. What was Kyle getting at now? "Did I miss something there?" 

Kyle groaned as he realized Daniel hadn't gotten what he was driving at. "Lily, you doof!" he exclaimed while slapping Daniel over the head. "She is all over you, and you _don't_ get the clue!" He shook his head in disappointment while Daniel rubbed the spot he'd slapped him on. "Geeze, you're just as dense as InuYasha!" 

"I'm nothing like that jerk," came the angry retort. Daniel's ears twitched slightly as well. "I just...well..." He sighed, knowing that Kyle was right about that. Okay, he hadn't missed it, he just didn't know what to do about it. He'd never had to deal with this kind of reaction from a girl before, being that most of the girls he did know were fellow students at Wolf's Den, and didn't really show that kind of interest in him. "I'm just an idiot..." 

A brow went up, almost right on time with the bell that ended lunch. Kyle found himself honestly surprised by how Daniel had been acting. He made a note _not_ to use InuYasha as a reference for how Daniel might react to things. "You're not an idiot," he finally said as he led him into the classroom. "You're just...I suppose inexperienced and a bit naive would be about right, but you're no idiot." He nudged Daniel in the arm. "Don't worry about it, it's only been the first day since you two met again. Just ask her out sometime this week." 

_Yeah, maybe...wait, ask her out!_ "As in, on a date?" Daniel asked nervously, his ears shivering slightly. "I...uh, but I..." 

Oi, it figured the kid was also shy as hell. There was a lot of work he had to do here. "That's it. I'm giving you guys a ride home, dropping Lily off, and then you are coming to my place so that we turn you into a primo babe-magnet." Kyle paused for a moment as he remembered how much of a magnet for girls that Daniel already was. That part didn't need help, it was overpowered enough as it was. "On second thought, you got the magnet part down, but you need to be a hell of a lot more confident in yourself, especially around Lily." 

Again, Daniel gulped in fear. "Actually, I have my motorcycle here, and I really need to study so I can catch up in Japanese." He paused. "I think Lily was planning to help me with that..." 

"Even better!" Kyle quickly replied. "You let your parents know that you're going to Lil's place to study, I'll give you the crash course in Japanese _and_ how to impress her, and you can go over there and ask her on a date without tripping over every other word that comes outt'a your mouth." 

That...might work out, but Daniel wasn't so sure he wanted to be getting tips on how to pick up girls from Kyle. He obviously was going out with Stephanie, but, as they had been going through the halls, he could swear he saw the older boy eyeingly flirt with every pretty girl that passed by them. Did Stephanie know about this? Wait, Kyle would give him a crash course in Japanese? "You took Japanese?" he asked, not bothering to point out Kyle's rather questionable habit of flirting. 

A shake of his head confirmed otherwise. "My grandparents are from Japan, and my family goes out there every now and then to visit the relatives, so dad made sure I could speak it fluently." He gave a cheesy grin then. "I'm probably a bit rusty, since it's been a couple years since I had to use it in actual conversation, but I should be able to get you up to speed. Besides, it'll give you a chance to bone up on InuYasha, since you are going to be cosplaying as him for SakuraCon." 

He was going to be costuming as InuYasha? And, when was he asked about this? "Thanks for asking my opinion on it," Daniel muttered while glaring at Kyle. "I don't mind the fact you guys wann'a get me involved, but still..." Oh, what was the point of arguing? He should have known he was getting pulled into this when Kyle had mentioned costuming to Lily. "Then there's the issue of my parents letting me go, especially if this is out of state." 

"You're good to go, SakuraCon is here in Seattle," Kyle assured him quickly while he waved to the teacher as he came in with a large turquoise coffee mug. "Mister Bernard, got you a fresh sacrifice for the dissection today." 

A what for the what! "Huh!" 

"Ignore him," the teacher replied while setting his cup and plate on his desk. "Kyle always says that when we have someone new." He smiled and walked over while the rest of the students started coming in. "You're Daniel Stevens then?" 

He nodded, then made his ears move so that he headed off any questions as to if he could remove them. "They're real," he added just to clarify. It was then that he noticed the amount of coffee that was in Mister Bernard's mug. No wonder Stephanie had called him 'Cappuccino Man'. 

"Oh, good, I was afraid I'd had too much caffeine for a moment there." Mister Bernard chuckled as he turned his attention to Kyle. "If you would help him get caught up as much as possible..." 

"On it," he replied while pulling Daniel over to the small desk where he set his own backpack. He reached into the cupboard and puled out a textbook, then set i on the desk and opened it up. "Let's get you started so we can get through this fast," Kyle muttered while Mister Bernard took attendance. "Who do you have next period?" 

Out came the class schedule again. "Uh, Phys Ed." 

"Good, I'll be there with the girls to get your butt moving after school, because we've got a lot to do." 

Joy. 


	8. Chapter 7

Phys Ed, Daniel decided, wasn't as bad as he'd feared. He's impressed the teacher, that was for sure, not to mention all the girls in the class had been almost drooling at the sight of him, and he'd made quite a few of the boys very upset and jealous, and not because their girlfriends were admiring some other guy. With all the homework he'd had piled onto him for tonight alone though, he wasn't so sure he'd be following Kyle's plan of, as the older teenager had put it, 'learning how to get the girl'. More like he was going to spend the night, not to mention the rest of the week, trying to wade through all the make-up assignments he'd been getting.

Maybe Lily could help him out, he was going to have her help him study to catch up on Japanese and Mod Civ. Thankfully, his English teacher had decided to give him a break and let him work from the current point in the class, with the promise that he would make everything else up over Spring Break.

Just as Kyle had said, he and the girls were waiting out in the parking lot for him in a white Mitsubishi that was parked right next to his red and white motorcycle. "How did you know this was mine?" he asked as he carefully slid his helmet on after tucking down his ears.

"The colors gave it away," Kyle replied while he grinned from in the driver's side. "Just follow me and I'll show you the way to Lily's place, so you can get there later on." There was a giggle from the backseat just before Kyle rolled up the window and back out of the spot.

With a sigh, Daniel swung his right leg over to mount his 'cycle, inserted the key and switched it to 'on', then kicked down on the starter to ignite the engine. He revved it a bit, slapped down the face guard of his helmet, then clicked the gear into neutral and push back to pull out from the parking spot. As Kyle's car headed out of the lot, Daniel shifted into gear and followed. _This,_ he though just as they started off onto the main road, _is going to be interesting._

* * *

It was about forty-five minutes later that Daniel finally pulled up to the curb next to Kyle's house. He'd called from Lily's house to let his parents know he was going to be home late, and because she hadn't seen him in nine years, Lily's mother had proceeded to dot on him like a lost son of hers she'd found again. Well, if anything, if he took Kyle's advice and asked Lily out, he knew that her parents would more than approve.

Oh yes, Lily's insistence that he stay so she could take his measurements for the costume. He would have rather done that than head off with Kyle, but the older boy had insisted that he needed to help Daniel 'study up on Inu'. That was likely to chew up the time he needed to be studying and catching up in class. But, having been told that he'd been heading back to her house, Lily had agreed. If only she knew Kyle's real plans.

"Don't worry about it," Kyle remarked as he opened the door and led Daniel inside. "You'll be back over there in a couple hours, and then you can cuddle up with her all you want."

Is that what he thought Daniel wanted to go back to her house for? If so, he wasn't sure he wanted Kyle's advice on how to be more confident about asking Lily out on a date. "Actually," he finally said. "I really need to get started on my homework. I've got a pile up to my waist to get through this whole week."

"That's what the rest of us are for," came Kyle's reply. "Right now, I wann'a get you introduced to the InuYasha anime, and loan you some of the manga." He had the younger boy follow him upstairs and opened the door of a room to reveal all the posters and various models that filled the walls and various shelves. While Daniel stared in amazement, Kyle simply chuckled. "This is just my collection room," he said as he walked over to a cassette rack and pulled a few VHS tapes from the slots. "Like I said, my dad's parents are from Japan, so my cousins send me a lot of stuff in between family trips out there. I actually got a scoop that Nintendo is finally making a Zelda anime."

"Legend of Zelda?" Daniel quipped while he gazed at a poster of that series' protagonist character. "It's going to be based on Ocarina of Time, right?"

A smile appeared over Kyle's lips as he pulled out a magazine and opened it up to show some pictures from the series. "Completely new continuity, and Link got a new outfit." While Daniel looked at the images, Kyle started looking for his spare copies of the InuYasha manga. "They ditched the hat, updated the outfit design, and best of all, they have an American voicing him for the Japanese dialogue."

Daniel looked over at his new friend. He couldn't read the article, since it was in a writing system he couldn't understand, so he had to take Kyle's word for it. "That would be this Chris guy you mentioned," he concluded. "You said he was working on some project for Nintendo, why didn't you say what it was before?"

"Because Lily and Stephanie would have flipped if they knew that Chris is going to be Link's voice in Japanese." Kyle walked over and flipped the page to show the picture of an American young man with golden blonde hair that was covering over his ears. "Chris actually has elf ears, so they've also been having him appear at conventions in costume over there when he'd not at the studio with the rest of the cast. He's also voicing Ganon for the anime, and you can bet that if Ocean doesn't get it so that Chris is on the voice cast for the dub, people are going to flip out like ninjas and cause one hell of a stink."

Okay, Daniel was impressed now at just how big this whole anime thing was, not to mention the fact that Zelda was one of his favorite game series. "What else has he done?" he asked while handing the magazine back to Kyle.

"Covered a hell of a lot for Scott when he's lost his voice." The older boy smirked as he put the magazine back on the bookshelf, then pointed to a photo that was hanging on the wall, which showed him dressed in black and purple robes, Stephanie in some kind of black jumpsuit with pink armor and trim, and Lily in what Daniel knew was a Japanese school uniform for girls. With them in the photo was the young man from the magazine article dressed up in what looked like a leather version of the Link costume, hair styled so that his elongated ears were obvious, and a man in a sleeveless flannel shirt, denim shorts, and a cowboy hat on his head.

"The guy in flannel is Scott McNeil, that picture was taken last year at NDK in Denver," Kyle explained while patting Daniel on the back. "That was the first and last convention Chris attended as just a regular attendee. He sent a voice demo to Northern Exposure after Scott had been telling the guys up there about him and he got picked up by Ocean just three months later."

Dreams did come true it seemed. "How'd he get the role of Link in _Japan_ though?"

Again, Kyle laughed. "That's the great part," he replied. "Apparently, Shegiru Miyamoto got wind of how much like a real life Link he looked like, and convinced the big N to pick up an American to be Link's voice, so that they could use him for the English dubs as well." There was a shine of pride in the boy's eyes as he looked at the photo. "We keep in touch, which is how I know he's also Ganon's voice."

Now walking over to his computer Kyle started booting it up while he watched Daniel looking at all the posters and models. "He was nice enough to send use some clips of what he sounds like as the big orc pig," he continued while waiting for the computer to start. "And holy god, they did a hell of a number with that. You'd never guess it was him if you didn't know for a fact he's the seiyuu."

Windows ME started, Kyle quickly brought up Winamp and opened a couple files into the media player. The first one, Daniel assumed, was a clip of Link himself, being there was no distortions done to it, and it actually fit the way he imagined Link sounding. Not exact, but the tone was pretty close. He had a feeling it would be better if he understood what was being said, however. "He's got a good voice," he remarked after a moment.

"That was as Link," Kyle said, though he knew it was obvious. "This," and he started the next clip, "is Chris as _Ganon._"

As the deep bassful and rumbling voice echoed off the speakers, Daniel found that Kyle was right; if he hadn't been told it was the same guy, he never would have known! It seemed such a contrast to Link, so sinister, yet at the same time so calm and calculating. If that was Ganon in Japanese he could only imagine how he'd sound when dubbed in English. "Holy moley," he whispered. "And he's a US native?"

"Yeah, and that's what's got everyone who knows all hyped up here in the states." Kyle quickly turned off Winamp and smiled. "A few people are complaining that it should be a Japanese seiyuu, they're the nay-sayers who think he'll botch up his lines." Again, that look of pride. "That's why he busted his ass learning as much of the language as possible, and his copy of the script is translated into romaji for him so he only worries about pronouncing the syllables. Plus, considering that the voice actor is the same for English and Japanese by doing it this way, they'll probably shut up once they see the actual show."

After hearing all this, it was no wonder his friends were so into all this stuff. He still wasn't sold on InuYasha, but he'd be damned if he didn't follow with this. He loved the Zelda games, watching it in full animation would be a dream come true! "Bummer he won't be at the convention," he muttered. But when he saw that evil grin on Kyle's face, he knew something was up. "You said he wasn't sure if he could make it."

"Yeah, that's what he told me to tell the girls," he stated before opening an old e-mail. "He's going to be at SakuraCon, but it's supposed to be a huge surprise to announce the premiere of the anime in Japan, so the website is listing nothing about him being there this year. It's supposed to hit their airwaves in April, and Chris is pulling for Viz to get the English rights so that he's on the English cast." He frowned for a moment. "Problem is, they're up against ADV, and while Chris and Tristan MacAvery are good pals, that ain't gonn'a mean squat if they get it and decide not to contract-out for Chris. Which means..."

"No Chris as Link and Ganon," Daniel said as his face fell. "Oh man, his voice fits Link too! Not that they won't have someone who can do a good job, but..."

A nod. "He sounds like the guy who did the grunts and stuff in Ocarina," he finished somberly. "He did let the girls know the he's definitely making NDK this year as a normal attendee, he's already pre-registered and signed up to be on staff, lucky bastard." That grin appeared again. "Mind you, his name's not nearly the fandraw that Scott's is, but when the fangirls see him, they squee and hunt him down. I heard he actually had some trouble at a convention in Japan because some school girl who was under sixteen wanted to sleep with him so she could say she'd been with Link."

Sixteen? Wasn't it _eighteen_ that was legal concenting age? "I assume they have a legal difference from us on ages?"

He raised his brow, but then nodded. "Age of consent in Japan is sixteen. Poor Chris was freaked out actually when she asked him, and the girl was banned from the convention for life." Kyle finally turned around and handed Daniel the manga volumes and VHS tapes. "That's volumes one and two of the manga, and episodes one through sixteen of the anime. I'd loan you the VCDs, but Lily's already borrowing the ones you'd need."

And he was headed to Lily's house soon...wait, Kyle said he was going to teach him how to be able to be confident in himself around her. If he remembered that, this did not bode well. Best not to remind him. "I best get going then," he said, now turning to leave while he slipped the mangas and videos into his backpack.

Kyle smiled and stood up. "You think you're getting away that easy?" he said to let Daniel know he hadn't forgotten. "We still have to work on your confidence problem, Pup."

Not good. "Uh, Kyle," he replied while turning back around. "No offense, but considering I saw you flirting with almost every girl we passed on the way to Mister Bernard's class, I hardly think you're the person to teach me."

Kyle raised a brow, though his expression was more amused than upset. "Ah, that. Stephanie knows I can't help but flirt around, and she's not much better, so we let it go since she knows, and I know, that it will never go beyond flirting with anyone else." He raised his right hand and tapped that silver ring. "There's a reason for these, after all."

He didn't want to try and figure out the insinuation there. He'd heard Kyle making out with Stephanie when he'd dropped her off at home, even with his ears folded down and covered by his helmet. It didn't take much more to imagine what else they'd been doing. And then there had been that joke about Lily going the wrong way to the Janitor's office at school...

"Best advice I can give is to not be so nervous around her," Kyle stated as he leaned back in his chair. "Just forget about any thought that she'll not like you, because you know she does, and has done so for the past decade." He paused a moment, then grinned. "She has got the _biggest_ crush on you, Danny. That's why she's such an InuYasha fangirl, because he looks just like you."

Someone had a crush on him? That was something he'd never have imagined in his life as happening. If he'd known that before, he would have made an effort to not forget her and...who was he kidding? He'd lost almost all memory of her by the time he was ten, he never would have known unless he'd been sent back into public schools sooner. But, he had a chance to make up for that. And then, Daniel smiled. _Wonder what Sensei Ookami would say,_ he thought before taking a breath and slinging his backpack over his shoulders.

"I should get back to her house," he stated, then realized he didn't really remember how to get there. "Um, you think you could give me directions?"

Kyle chuckled and got out of his chair, then grabbed his jacket and his car keys. "I need to get some stuff back from her anyway, just follow me, it's not far." he paused a moment to get a box from in his closet, then headed out. As they went back down the stairs, Daniel slipping his helmet back on, Kyle paused at the front door and looked back to waggle his brows at the dog-ears boy. "I foresee much cuddling in front of the anime tonight for you, and possibly some tonsil hockey if things play out right."

"I'm not that much of a dog, you pervert!"

Oh yeah, he definitely called that reaction perfectly.

* * *

The minute Lily had opened the door to see Daniel standing there, her reaction was a perfectly normal one, for a raging anime fangirl. She squealed, tackled him into a hug, then pulled him into the house and dragged him downstairs to the basement where she planted him in front of the TV. It was only then that Kyle cleared his throat to make his own presence known at the top of the basement stairs.

"You'd think you had him ready to hit the ground if he resisted."

She glared, he gave her the plotting eye, and then she raced back into the basement to get out her measuring tape. "Thank you for reminding me," she said as she had Daniel stand up and take his jacket and backpack off. "Spread your arms," she intoned, now running the tape along his body to get the measurements she needed. As she wrapped it around his chest, she had to resist tickling him in the side. "I can't believe how friggin' perfect to all this he is," came her mumbling as she wrote down the measurements in a notepad. "By the way, you think Sean can build him a Tetsusaiga in time for the con, or do we have to go pre-Fang Inu?"

"I gave him a call on the way over here, so he's gonn'a start work this weekend on a plastic Tetsusaiga instead of a boffer so it looks better, and he can give it that bone look."

"And for the rosary?" Lily continued as she finished taking Daniel's measurements. "I'm not that good at props, you know."

He held out the box he'd grabbed from his collection room and smiled as he opened it to reveal the contents. "This work?" he asked as Lily stared in amazement and was ready to swipe it from his hand. "Hey!" he hissed while pulling it back from her nabbing hands just in time. "Careful, this thing has been in my family since the Warring States era of old Nippon!" He took a breath, then pulled the blue bead and white fang necklace out of the box. "It's five hundred years old, and I'm surprised the damn thing is still so solid."

"Kyle, that thing is perfect!" she cried, holding out her hands so she could take it. When he finally draped it on her wrist, Lily noticed that it was a bit heavier that it should have been for what it was made of. "Where did your family get this thing?" she asked as she held it up to examine it in the light. "I didn't think they actually made prayer rosaries like this back then!"

He shrugged and slipped the box under his arm again. "One of my ancestors got it about five hundred or so years ago when some of his friends got married." He took a breath, then grinned like he had just thought of a joke. "He was a Buddhist monk, ended up having a bunch of kids with some 'demon slayer'. Big family, I think they ended up with like a dozen or so children before they finally stopped popping out babies."

That sounded a bit familiar. "If I didn't know better," Lily remarked wryly while she walked over to Daniel and slipped the rosary over his neck, "I'd say it figures you're a descendent of Miroku. You're his friggin' reincarnation considering how much you flirt with anything that has two legs, a pretty face, and a pair of boobs."

"I'm minus the Air Void," Kyle stated to remind her of that point. "Which I'm pretty sure means I'm not one of his kin, though you never know, they probably will eventually kill Naraku." He glanced to Daniel and grinned. "The pup here is pretty much InuYasha, and we all know I'm the Lecherous Monk of Buddha."

"Eric comes in a close second," she quipped while pulling Daniel's hair out from under the necklace. "But, he doesn't have any Asia blood in him, let alone Japanese. That and he lives in Utah, and makes a better Zelgadis."

He had the urge to finger the rosary, though Daniel also got a really odd tingle from it. Probably was just a static charge or something. "Do I have to wear this thing?" he asked as he started to not like that tingle. Then, it was gone, but he still felt something from the necklace.

"It's part of the costume," she replied while slapping his hand away from the beads. Lily sighed, looked at Daniel thoughtfully while she imagined him wearing the full costume, then couldn't help but giggle. "It's gonn'a be so perfect!" she exclaimed. "I can even see him taking the fall when I say _osuwari_!"

_WHAM!_

No one said anything for the longest moment. Lily just stood there, while Kyle was staring at where Daniel was standing. Or, to be more accurate, Kyle was staring at where Daniel had been standing. Lily slowly turned, and then they both looked down to see that Daniel was planted, face first no less, against the carpet, moaning in pain. They both blinked in shock at first, then realized that Daniel wasn't joking around.

"_OhmygodohmygodI'msosorry!_"

"My face hurts," was all Daniel could say as they helped him up. He groaned, felt his face and found that, no, his nose wasn't broken. Lucky that. "What just happened, and why did I suddenly find my face eating your floor?"

Neither of them could explain it. One second, Daniel had been just fine, and then the next, Kyle saw those beads flash and Daniel had slammed to the ground. It wasn't possible, it wasn't logical, hell, it wasn't real! But, it had happened. "Danny," he finally said after the odd silence. "I'd suggest you take that thing off."

The boy nodded and started to remove the necklace, but it wouldn't come off. He blinked, pulled as much as he could, but the thing wouldn't pull away from his body. "Guys," he finally whimpered. "It's not coming off!"

The older boy groaned and took hold of the rosary. "That's not funny, Danny," he said, but then found that he was right; the rosary wouldn't budge at all. If they hadn't been freaked out before, they were now. "Oh boy, this ain't good."

"Stop joking around you two!" Lily exclaimed. Kyle then proceeded to try again, just to prove to her that they weren't playing; that necklace refused to be moved, and now, she recognized the reality of it. "Oh my god...Kyle, this is the real deal! This is a real subjugation rosary! How the hell did your family get this thing!"

"I told you, a Buddhist monk ancestor of mine got it from a couple of his friends who got hitched!" he replied, no less perturbed by this situation. It wasn't making any sense how this was possible for there to really be such a magic artifact, but they couldn't deny that it really existed, the proof had already given itself.

"Is everything alright down there?"

Lily froze, then looked up toward the stairs. "Fine, mom! Just watching some anime with Kyle and Daniel while we do homework!" She reached over and hit the play button of her stereo remote to put on some music. After a moment, she reached over and tried to take the necklace off, but it would not budge. This was not good. "Kyle," she hissed. "We have to get this thing off of him! Every time someone says _osu_-"

His hand quickly covered her mouth before she could finish. "Don't say it!" he hissed. When she nodded, he let go and sighed. "Get something to cushion him, we need to test this."

Daniel couldn't help but gulp in fear as Lily took him into her room and set him on a large futon. "Uh, this is gonn'a hurt again, isn't it?"

A shrug from Kyle was the initial response. "That depends on if it works for anyone," he said, then took a breath and sighed. "Sorry in advance..._Osuwari._"

He braced himself, but nothing happened. Daniel opened his eyes to see that he was still standing. Kyle repeated, and again, nothing happened. That was a relief. Maybe it was just a one-time fluke and-

"_Osuwari._"

_WHAM!_ "Ow! Damnit, that hurts even _with_ the futon!"

"Well, that confirms not just anyone can say it," Kyle muttered while they helped Daniel back to his feet again. He was definitely getting that pissed off expression so common to InuYasha himself, and Kyle couldn't really blame him. "Lily, until we can get this thing off his neck, you are not to say _osuwari_ ever again, is that understood?"

Biting her lip, she nodded. "Let's just hope the same thing doesn't happen when I say 'sit'." Lily went wide eyed and covered her mouth, but fortunately, nothing happened. No glow, no Daniel slamming into the ground, nothing. "Oh good, I can at least say it in English." Something else crossed her mind now, and she fingered the rosary. It would move when someone wasn't trying to peel it off, that was a good thing. "I wonder why it only works for me? I'm no _miko_. Hell, I'm not even remotely Japanese."

Again, Kyle shrugged while he tried to figure it out himself. "It might be because you put it on him," he replied, since it was the most logical answer. "You put it around his neck, you gave it the command, and it's 'coded' to you." He paused and scratched the back of his head. "That's the only reason I can think of, thought I can't figure out why then you can't take it off."

This was just great. He had a necklace on him that made his face hit the ground whenever Lily said that word, no one could get it off, and he'd been trying to work up the courage to ask her out like Kyle had suggested. Now was no time to do that now, not that he had this...this thing on him. God, it felt like a collar around his neck now that he thought about it. That's exactly was this thing was, the Collar from Hell. If Greg got wind of this, he'd hear no end of it.

Someone was pulling out the neck hole of his shirt. He finally snapped back to reality just as Lily was tucking the rosary under his shirt, then caught a peak through the neck hole and blushed. "Wow," she whispered while letting go and shoving her hands down in front of her. For a moment, she glanced to him, then took another look and tuned an even brighter shade of red. "Oh, _wow_!"

"What?"

She glanced to Kyle, not even trying to hide how red she was from embarrassment. "Kyle, you have got to see what he looks like under that shirt!"

Both boys stared at her like she was nuts. Kyle was the first of them to respond. "Uh, Lil," he said. "One dude checking out another dude is not something that's kosher with the Lecherous Monk."

She blinked, then realized what he meant. "No, no, not like that! I mean..." He paused then just grabbed the bottom of Daniel's shirt and pulled up. "I mean, look at how _built_ he is!"

"Hey!" he cried, pulling his shirt back down while it was now his turn to go red. "It's bad enough all the girls in PE were screaming for me to take it off, I don't need you doing it too!" He looked to Kyle for some back-up, but the older boy just had one very surprised expression on his face. "A little help here!"

After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah, definitely agreed," he said, then glanced to Daniel. "How the hell did you get like that!"

He almost yelled back an angry retort, but realized just what Kyle as asking. "I've been training in martial arts for nine years, and I take my test for black belt in a couple weeks. I've been like this since I was twelve."

Again Kyle stared in amazement while Lily resumed the usual anime girl thing to do of going bright red. "You are so damn lucky," he said finally. "Most guys don't get that kind of gift when they hit puberty, you have it made!" With an evil eye to Lily, Kyle grinned. "This would be where Stephanie would say that that you got the pick of the litter, Lil."

Did Kyle have to use dog terms like that when talking about him? Daniel sighed and lowered his head. That was another problem, now that he thought about it. He had to shower with this damn necklace on in PE, how was he going to explain that? More over, how did he explain it to his parents? He thought his life had been complicated before, but now, with all this...

He felt a hand pushing his chin up, and he looked to see Lily smiling at him. "Cheer up," she said, her tone upbeat. "He's right, I got the best in the litter."

She got _what_? "Uh, Lily...I..." He looked to Kyle, but the older boy had already left the room, abandoning Daniel to be alone with Lily. Wait, _alone_ with her! What was Kyle thinking! "I should probably be..." gulp "...going..."

She smiled, took a hold of his sidelocks, then inched toward his lips. Daniel found he couldn't breath, his heart was pounding, no, _racing_, and then, she kissed him. He went wide eyed, but then, after a moment, he smiled and slipped his hands around her waist and let himself be drawn into it while his eyes fell shut.

He had best call home to let his parents know that he was going to be home a little later than expected. But, that could wait a bit. Right now, he felt like putty in her hands, and he liked it.

Just outside, Kyle didn't even have to look in on the two to know what had happened. He smiled, glanced to his ring, then dug out his cell phone and brought up Stephanie's number. She picked up after a couple rings. "Hey hon," he said into the phone. "Mission accomplished, those two are having their first kiss, and with each other no less." She asked him something, he angled back a bit to peek in, then broke into a wide grin. "Well, I don't count on it going past first base, but...damn, he must be one hell of a kisser for her to be like...holy geeze, she's got her hand up his shirt. Uh, Steph...make that second base at most."

She said something else, and he glanced at a clock. It was about five fifteen. He weighed the options in his head, heard her whispering over the phone to him, then decided it best to let the little lovebirds who were still innocent kids have their privacy. After all, when the Lecherous Monk of Buddha got an offer of booty call, who was he to refuse? "I'll be over in about fifteen minutes, along with dinner, because I don't think we want your dad walking in on us again, even if we have an engagement."

With that, after bidding her a short farewell, he flipped shut his phone, took one last glance to make sure the pups weren't doing anything he _would_, and was satisfied that they'd behave. Keys and box in hand, he headed upstairs, let Lily's mother know that the girl had found herself her first boyfriend, who was well-behaved, respectful, and completely incapable of trying anything underhanded with her daughter, and left with that big grin still on his face.

"Chinese sounds good," he muttered while heading for Stephanie's house. "She generally likes Chinese to munch on while we cuddle afterwards."


	9. Chapter 8

As he and Lily walked out of Mod Civ, Daniel couldn't help but be absolutely beaming, feeling like a god. Not that anyone would have blamed him. After all, he'd gotten himself a girlfriend, had been offered a tryout for the Junior Varsity basketball team, which he'd turned down because he already had enough after school activities on his hands, and he was no longer bothered by Greg Harris and his gang, thanks to the fact that those guys had finally crossed the line and been expelled. He'd also managed to blaze through and make up all the missing work, with no small help from his friends, and he was proud to admit he had help. That's what friends were for, afterall.

It had been over a month since he and Lily had officially became a couple, which actually had been about a day after they kissed, cuddled up and watched some anime in her TV room after dinner, and then, after watching Escaflowne the movie, had proceeded to resume the kissing. Kyle no doubt had informed Lily's mother about it as he'd left , since when Daniel had broken off the kissing session to call his parents, she invited him to stay for dinner. Oh well, she more than approved of them being a couple. Her father had taken it pretty good as well, even if he had given something of the "that's my little girl" lecture Daniel had heard all about from Sensei Ookami.

They had known him when he'd been just a little boy though, and considering that it have been Kyle, who apparently was famous for the antics he and Stephanie had late at night, who assured Missus Bennett that the teenagers were definitely not going to do anything he and Stephanie would...well, Kyle would be the expert on judging that. And they hadn't done anything besides kissing...a lot. Alright, so he'd lost his shirt once they'd resumed making out after his phone call, but that was the _only_ article of clothing that had been removed besides shoes. Lily wasn't that kind of girl, and he was _not_ that kind of boy.

He still was being doe-eyed by most of the girls around school, which made the boyfriends jealous, but at least they were leaving him generally alone, save those that were single and fawned over the fact he was now taken. Honestly, he didn't see what the big deal was. Yeah, he felt a whole lot better about himself and wasn't so quick to wish he was a normal human, but he was still an anomaly of nature and mutation. Besides, he was quite happy with Lily.

The film project had gone rather well, though he still couldn't really get into the frame of mind needed to portray InuYasha. Then again, when they didn't see you, only heard your voice, that didn't matter as much. All that mattered had been that the anime fans loved it, and Missus Gallagher has given them a B on the commercial. She would have given them an A, but apparently, being as good as it was hadn't been enough to redeam their previous antics in the video room. But to him, all that mattered was that he had fun doing it, and they'd passed the assignment, and the next one which had been to make a silent movie. Leave it to Lily to come up with a cheesy kung-fu style flick that had 'badly dubbed subtitles'. Ah well, the whole class had cracked up watching it, and they pulled off an A minus, no thanks to his own ability to pull off stunts that you normally needed wires for.

And now, they were headed off to that very class, hand in hand. God, he felt so good now. He had finally found a way to fit in with everyone else, by just being himself.

"I can't believe Chris isn't gonn'a make it! Gah!"

Well, sounded like Stephanie was in a great mood. They took their usual seats next to the lovingly engaged pair of teenagers that were Kyle and Stephanie. "What's going on?" Lily asked as she held out a handkerchief for Stephanie, who already was crying.

"We just got an e-mail from Chris last night," Kyle answered while his girlfriend was blowing her nose. "He's not gonn'a be able to make it to SakuraCon after all, apparently that project with Nintendo has got his schedule tied up to hell."

He almost opened his mouth, but then Daniel quickly thought better of telling Stephanie the real news on that when Kyle glanced to him and winked. It was a better idea to let it be a surprise, especially on just what that project was. "Bummer," he instead said. "I was looking forward to meeting him after what you guys have told me."

Kyle shrugged and gave Stephanie a pat on the leg. "He'll definitely make it to NDK though, he promised that, since Scott's gonn'a be there, and he wants to give us Voice Wars Two before he's a guest." A grin as she started to cheer up. "I'd advise against reminding him about that one girl from last year though. He's still a bit sore over that."

This was something new. "What happened last year?" Daniel inquired while he pulled out his art folder and started doodling.

They glanced to each other, trying to decide which one was going to explain it, and then Kyle sighed and threw up his hand. "Fine, fine, I'll tell him," he exclaimed. With a sigh, he cracked his neck, wishing he didn't have to think back on it. "Like I told you, last year's NDK was Chris' first and last convention before he got lucky and landed a job at Ocean. Well, it was also there he met this girl who he went all head over heels for."

This sounded like he already knew how it ended. "I'm assuming that Lina cosplayer in the group photo."

A nod. "That's the one," Kyle confirmed. "After con, they started going out, even if it was a long distance relationship, and we all thought it was going to work out for him considering how happy he sounded. Then, right before he found out that he got the job with Ocean, she dumps him and left him heartbroken, blaming himself for everything that went wrong." He sighed and shook his head in disgust. "It turns out she had a record of doing this, and her former friends told him that it wasn't his fault, he wasn't to blame, but he's still beating himself up over it."

That sounded pretty bad. No wonder he had freaked out over that girl in Japan, he still hadn't recovered from that emotional trauma. "That sucks," Daniel commented while he shut his art book. "But he managed to pull it together enough to go up to Canada and grab that job, obviously."

A round of nods. "He's still sore over it though," Stephanie remarked as she handed Lily back her handkerchief. "The guy is afraid that it's gonn'a happen all over again if he gets into another relationship, hence why he tries to avoid the fangirls who are legal." Another sigh as she began tracing her finger on the desk. "I was thinking of setting him up on a date with one of my friends if he made it this weekend."

"Which is a very bad idea," Kyle chided. Apparently, he'd said this a lot. "She's not jail bait, but I don't think he's ready for that yet. It could end up leaving him even worse off."

A shrug, another sigh, and then Missus Gallagher called for everyone's attention. "Listen up!" she said while finishing up the roll. "New project! I want a short film, no more than five minutes, due in two weeks. Those of you who are going to SakuraCon this weekend, you're excused from this assignment." She let the round of cheers go out, as well as the groans from those obviously not going to the convention and wishing they were. "Instead, you have a different project." Ah, yes, not so happy about it now. "I want a video documentary of the convention, as well as a report of what's going on, what's coming out, and if possible, some interviews with the guests." Now she looked right at the quartette in particular. "Kyle, I know you have connections with that Blair guy at Ocean. I expect you to use them."

As he chuckled, Kyle shrugged. "I would," he replied. "But he's in Japan right now, and he mailed us last night to let us know he wasn't going to make it. I can try and get one with Paul Dobson though, he's on the guest list."

Missus Gallagher nodded and told everyone to get to work. However, she again flagged down Kyle's group to join her in the studio room. With the door closed behind them, she sighed and looked to the four. "Kyle, this is the one thing I have high expectations on from you guys. You brought me that great tape from NDK, and you were just my aide last year. I expect you guys to bust out something that no one else is going to get."

There was a spark in Kyle's eyes. Yeah, he had something in mind alright. "Already planned for," he replied. "I won't spoil it, because I want to keep it a surprise, but I think everyone is going to wet their pants."

"I already have twelve McNeil interviews, that's not good enough anymore."

"Trust me," he replied while glancing to Daniel. "This has got nothing to do with Scott. Just make sure that you've got tarps under all the desks when we show our report, because it'll make the janitor's job a lot easier in cleaning up the mess."

* * *

"I can't believe you told her that!"

As they all headed for the parking lot after school, Stephanie wasn't sure if she want to make love to Kyle right there, or beat him over the head. She was seriously considering both at the same time to kill two birds with one stone.

"Trust me, hon," he replied as he unlocked his car and let her in while Daniel and Lily were mounting the red and white Kawasaki. "I know what I'm doing, just like I always do." He grinned and opened his door while Stephanie just snorted at him. "Which one of us was the one that managed to calm your dad down after the first time he walked in on us?"

"Only because we'd already been engaged for two months," she shot back in an annoyed voice. "Damnit, what the hell do we have! Chris isn't going to be there, Kyle, and he was the one exclusive we could get, guaranteed!"

Yeah, it was best to let the almost married couple have their time to sort it out on their own. Daniel slapped down his face guard while Lily did the same with the visor of her helmet, started his motorcycle, then pulled out of the lot and headed down the street on a course for Lily's house. She still had a few touches left on his costume that he had to be wearing it for, and Sean was supposed to be dropping off the Tetsusaiga. That and the usual plan of cuddling in front of a sappy movie and having a make out session either afterwards, or during if they lost their attention span for the flick.

As they pulled up into the driveway, Daniel felt something vibrating in his pocket. He deftly reached in while pulling his helmet off with his free hand, then opened up his crimson colored cellphone and tapped the talk button with his recently grown-in claw. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Danny. Where you at?_"

Leave it to his mother to check in on him. "I'm over at Lily's to finish my costume for the convention," he replied as he followed Lily into the house. "Don't count on me being home for dinner."

"_As usual,_" came the reply. "_You need to bring her over for dinner sometime just so you're not always at her house. I wonder sometimes about what you're doing over there all the time._"

"Mom, I'm not like that, and you know it!"

Lily glanced back as she caught that end of the conversation. "Because he knows I have a leash on his neck if he tried anything!"

The boy growled as he glared at her. "That's not not helping me," he hissed while Lily just grinned and flicked one of his ears. His mother seemed to enjoy it, however, so he quickly ended the conversation and turned off his phone. "I though we agreed you wouldn't bring that up!"

A look of confusion, and then Lily went red as she remembered about the problem he now had that was partly her fault. "Sorry," she quipped, but she took the chance, looped a finger around the rosary, and pulled him along down into the basement. "I'll make it up to you."

A minute later, curled up on the basement couch, they were back to the usual routine while a movie was playing and they didn't pay it a lick of attention. They ignored the phone as it rang, which was Lily's mother calling to let her know that she would be a couple hours late getting home, and then, it was the doorbell ringing several times that finally broke the two up.

"It's probably Sean with Tetsusaiga," Lily remarked as she ran upstairs, Daniel right behind her as they head for the front door. Sure enough, as she opened the door, it was Sean. "Hey!"

"Got a delivery for one Dog Boy," he replied as he brought his right hand into view with the finished prop sword. "Just finished up the fur piece last night, so it's all ready for the weekend."

He flipped it around while taking a step back and held it out to Daniel, who broke into a grin and gripped the prop by the hilt. "This is so awesome," the boy said as he tested the weight. The center of balance and handling was horrible, but since this was an actual prop and not a magical fang blade, one had to expect the balance to suck. "How solid is it?"

Sean grinned as he tapped the blade. "Rock solid, so if you guys use it for a Video project, it's not going to break on you."

"Inu Fanflick!" came the excited squeal from Lily as she jumped up and down. "Thank you so much, Sean! We're just finishing the costume too!"

They were? While it sounded better than tell him they'd been making out on the couch, they should probably have been doing that instead of popping on a movie they hadn't even been watching. But now that she brought it up, it probably was a good idea to get to work on finishing the costume, being they only had a couple days left. "Speaking of which," Daniel intoned as he turned back to glance at her. "We should get back to work."

"Hm? Oh, right." Lily nodded and went back inside after thanking Sean for dropping the sword off. Now with Daniel once again in tow, she set him up in her sewing room and pulled out the finished costume. "Undress and get it on," she stated with a mischievous gleam in those blue eyes of hers. "Come on, come on, hurry it up!"

And people claimed that guys were the perverts in a relationship? "I get some privacy, right?"

That gleam died as she finally left the room. "Fine, fine...spoil sport."

He quickly closed the door behind her to make sure she didn't try to peek in on him. "Gott'a love her, but sometime, yeash." Daniel pulled his shirt off, then his pants and started slipping into the kimono. It was then he remembered what a pain it was to tie those pants on with his claws. "Uh, Lil," he called while pulling the under-kimono and the top shut. "I need help."

And she came bouncing back in, grinning madly as she helped him tie the pants on. "Not even a tease?" she asked while tying the loops of the back section, then doing the front. "I swear, you're still a shy little boy after this long."

His face turned almost as red as the costume he was wearing. "We've only been going out for a month and a half!" he exclaimed nervously while she helped finish up with the snaps to bring the flap of the kimono into place. "Besides...we need to finish this up."

Shoulders straighten and hair pulled out to flow down his back, Lily moved Daniel in front of the mirror so he could see how he looked. "Forgetting...oh!" She smiled and pulled the rosary out from under the kimono, straightening it out and getting it just right. "Perfect! You are gonn'a make them drop dead in shock, Danny!"

He raised his arms up, noting how well it flowed on him. Actually, the outfit was pretty comfortable, he could actually wear something like this on a regular basis. "Hand me the sword," he said, holding his hand out as Lily gave him the prop. Now resting it over his shoulder, Daniel looked in the mirror and grinned. "Not bad at a-"

"_InuYasha! Iiya!_"

He stumbled as he felt that flash in his mind, almost falling over if not for Lily catching him and taking the prop from his hand. "_Okasan..._" he whispered just as he lost the strength in his legs.

"Daniel, are you alright!" she exclaimed, now moving the boy to the main room and setting him on the couch. "Should I call your mom?"

The images flashed through his mind again, him in this same costume, but older, and he had a dangerous gleam in his eyes. There was someone else there who was screaming for him...why were they calling him InuYasha? And he could hear cries, like an infant. Wait, he was seeing things from the arms of the other person. It was _him_ making those infant screams. What was he seeing?

And then, it was gone. He shook his head and cleared his vision to see Lily standing there with a look of worry in her eyes and a glass of water in one hand. "I'm fine," he said on reflex, but even he wasn't so sure of that. "Just a little dizzy and having a bad daydream, I'll be alright."

That didn't convince her. "What kind of daydream?" Lily inquired, sitting down next to him on the couch while he down the entire glasss of water in a single sitting. "And why did you say 'okasan'?"

Something was really odd about that vision. It had felt like his old nightmares again, except worse, even more real than before. Everything being said was in Japanese, and Lily claimed he'd called out 'mother' in the same language. What was wrong with him? "I haven't getting much sleep," he replied, trying to rationalize it while he slowly got to his feet. For a moment, he stumbled again, but the dizziness passed and Daniel was able to stand up. "You guys have gotten me too excited about this weekend, you've only got yourselves to blame."

"Oh sure," she hissed while standing and flicking his left ear. "Say it's _our_ fault you didn't get to sleep last night. You're sounding more and more like InuYasha than you like to think, pal."

Well, that was one way to make his ego shrink. Daniel's ears drooped down in dismay even as Lily remembered that it was kind of embarrassing for him to act or sound just like the character. "Except you're not a jerk," she quickly added while rubbing his ear. That had him about ready to melt into goo right there. "Only about ten percent of the time, when you're being dense as hell."

"Do I get to see you change into your costume?" he said, grinning as he narrowed his eyes. "You tried peeking in on me, it's only fair."

Had he just asked if he could...what had Kyle done to her puppy! Okay, it was actually mostly her fault, since she did try sneaking a peek when she could, but she was his girlfriend! It was her right, after all. Maybe that did entitled him to a teaser, but did he have to be so blunt about it? Eh, what the hell, let him have a full show, he'd earned it, but he was going to pay admission up front. "Daniel," she whispered just as she batted an ear. "_Osuwari._"

_WHAM!_

"_Ow!_ Damnit, you promised you wouldn't do that!"

"I know. That's an advance on watching me parade around in my underwear."

Yep, he didn't mind the pain now. When in need, use his overactive animalistic sex drive that was a good ten times worse than that of any normal teenage boy to soothe his anger. Sometimes, she almost regretted being cruel to him like this.

_Almost._


	10. Chapter 9

**Day 1**

"I can't believe this! How can there not be any parking!"

Armed not in his own Mitsubishi, but his parents' van, Kyle growled as he continued searching the hotel lot for any place to park. If he actually had the infamous Air Void, he'd have used it by now and cleared out a spot, and to hell with the owner of the former vehicle. As it was, he didn't have that black hole in his palm, and had to settle for trying to find a spot. "I knew we should have left sooner, we all got the day off from school for this!"

Ears perking as his eyes got sight of an empty spot, Daniel pulled on Kyle's shoulder as fast as he could to get his attention. "Right there!" he cried, which reshanie close behind carrying another two bags and the giant foam boomerang that was Hiraikotsu. "We got about an hour before the prereg starts, so that's enough time to check in, get to the hotel room and change, then hang out in the line."

Lily and Kyle quickly caught up, being they didn't have much left to carry in, just the last bag and some props like Kyle's staff and a bow and arrow set for Lily. Oh yes, and the little plushie tucked under Lily's arm that was going to be their Kirara. Sadly, none of them had a Shippo plushie. She'd spent all night trying to get Daniel to work on acting like InuYasha, but in the end, the best they'd gotten was halfway between perfect and Daniel being unable to act like a jerk. It was going to have to do, since most of it was made up caught up, being they didn't have much left to carry in, just the last bag and some props like Kyle's staff and a bow and arrow set for Lily. Oh yes, and the little plushie tucked under Lily's arm that was going to be their Kirara. Sadly, none of them had a Shippo plushie. She'd spent all night trying to get Daniel to work on acting like InuYasha, but in the end, the best they'd gotten was halfway between perfect and Daniel being unable to act like a jerk. It was going to have to do, since most of it was made up for by the fact his voice _was_ perfect. He just needed to sound a lot more arrogant and pissy most of the time.

"Coming through," Kyle intoned as they entered the lobby and headed for the front desk. Already there were people waiting around, some in costume, some not, but it wasn't even ten seconds before someone squealed, ran over to the group and asked to play with Daniel's ears. And then the minute they saw that said ears were _not_ props, they squealed even more and were now _begging_ for tweaking permissions.

They expected Lily to uphold her usual harem guard routine, but for once, the girl grinned, nodded, and then proceeded to inform Daniel as he endured the treatments that, while she got full rights to him, he was free game to the other congoers when it came to his ears. He made a mental note to get used to a sensory overload with all the tweaking and rubbing he was going to get this weekend.

"Is this with cash, or credit?"

"Credit," Kyle replied as he handed the desk clerk a credit card. "It's my parents' account, but I'm an authorized user."

"Can I see some ID?"

He dug into his shorts and pulled out his wallet, flipped it open to show his driver's license, then got the card back after the clerk charged the rooms to the account. Now armed with a set of keycards and their room numbers, Kyle led them all off in search of their lodgings for the next three days. "Try and get a hold of Alex to find out where they're having the room party," he said while they rode up in the elevator toward the fourth floor. "I promised I'd bring the X-Japan albums and the Vampire Hunter D movies."

As the door opened at their floor, Stephanie pulled out her cellphone and brought up a quick-dial, now handing her bags off to Lily so she could hold the phone and the giant boomerang. It was a few rings before someone finally picked up, but thankfully, it was the right person. "Alex, it's Steph. We just got checked in and heading to our rooms, where are you guys?" A moment later, she turned to Kyle. "Room four-twenty," she repeated from what she'd been told. "Thanks, Alex, we'll head over in a bit."

A laugh as Kyle shook his head. "We better not have a four-twenty this weekend, or I'm gonn'a be pissed," he stated while Stephanie shut her phone and took back her two bags.

"What's a four-twenty?"

"Police code for marijuana," Stephanie answered while Kyle was busy unlocking the hotel room they were staying it. "My uncle's a cop out in California with the Sheriff's Department."

Made sense. Daniel hefted his own luggage while Lily got the key from Kyle for their own room and opened the door. A minute later, three gym bags were on the floor, Tetsusaiga was leaned against a wall, and Daniel was rummaging through his own bag and getting his costume out, which he'd made sure to fold nice and neat so that it didn't get all wrinkled up before he got it on.

His shirt quickly came off, replaced by the white under kimono and then the red main one before taking off his pants and pulling on a pair of shorts and the hakuma. "Lily," he intoned. "Pants time."

As he turned, he almost wished he hadn't because Lily was already in nothing but her underwear. It didn't seem to matter much to her, since she just walked over and helped him finish putting on the costume. He was very thankful, however, that his shorts and the kimono were covering his rather embarrassing, reaction to seeing his girlfriend just about as naked as he was ever going to any time soon. Or, at least, he'd _thought_ it covered it.

"Need a carpenter for that wood?" she quipped after pulling the rosary out from the kimono. When he went red, she only laughed. "Don't mind me, I'm just a cute fourteen year old schoolgirl in almost nothing, no reason to get excited at all." Lily grinned as Daniel pulled down his ears in emarrassment, then gave him a kiss on the lips. "I'm glad you find me so desirable, my little puppy, because if you didn't, there's something wrong with you."

Yeah, he'd rather be getting the Sit than be so horribly teased like this. Lily knew how bad his sex drive was compared to any other boy, because he'd told her what his last medical examination had shown. Granted, it seemed that such an overactiveness was normal for his body, but it wasn't good news when Lily did this to him. "I'll be waiting in the lobby," he muttered while grabbing Tetsusaiga and heading for the door. "If I stay any longer, I might start humping your leg."

"Oh, it only takes me a minute to get this on!" she snapped as she finished slipping her costume shirt on and pulled on the pleated skirt, buttoned in back and zipped just a few seconds later. "You're the one it takes forever with because of those claws."

Well, at least he wasn't having such a massive overload of Lily's skin to worry about now. Still, did she have to make that skirt exactly that short? He kept having the feeling that it was going to flip up at the wrong moment, and then he'd be staring at her panties...again, in front of everyone. Okay, if that happened, he wasn't the only one who was going to get some fanservice, but he was the only one with the _rights_ to get fanservice from Lily. _Gah, stop thinking like that, you're not that much of a dog!_

A knock came from the door that joined the two rooms. Daniel breathed with relief and opened their side to see that Kyle was changed already. "Where's Steph?" he asked.

"I doubt your schoolgirl will want you seeing me naked!" came the half-laughed reply. Daniel gulped while Kyle chuckled and pushed him back a bit. "You're liable to get a nice sit for it!"

As if trying to get rid of this problem in his pants wasn't enough... "I'm sorry I asked," the boy muttered while letting Kyle through into their room and closed the door behind him. "Why is she naked?"

"She was messing with you," Kyle stated while he fixed the little black strap that went around Daniel's chest. "She's got half the jumpsuit on, and she's wearing a bra, so at most, you'd have gotten the Sango version of Victoria's Secret." There once more was that devious grin that let Daniel know Kyle was going to say something really evil. "Then again, you've got a Kagome who's probably going to give you a lot of fan service, unlike on the show." Pull that bit of lint from his kimono, straighten the beads... "Who knows, you may just catch her bathing in the springs."

Luck was on Kyle's side when that shoe came at him. It barely missed his head, which warned him to move out of the way as Lily hopped out of the bathroom on one foot with her right hand trying to pull the other shoe off for a second shot. "Maybe we should have stuck that damn rosary on you, _ecchi_!" she growled.

"Hey, I can't help it!" he replied while hopping back and gripping the prayer beads wrapped around his right arm. "Stand back, or I'll Air Rip your little schoolgirl butt, Kagome!"

Heaven help him, but Daniel knew that he had the urge to join in on the act. It was held back only by Stephanie's arrival and the thwacking of Kyle's head with her boomerang. "Save it for the dance floor," she said while her boyfriend rubbed his head. "I know you're gonn'a live up the whole Miroku act, just like you do every year, and ask half the girls at the con to bear your child."

"But my dear Sango," he replied, now going completely in character and grasping her free hand. "You know that I only have eyes for one woman in my life." Grope, grope, slap. Hand to face to rub the sting that actually wasn't there, but they were having too much fun.

"No chasing after any other mes," she stated while slipping the strap of the boomerang around her body to run across her chest. "There's gonn'a be enough Mirokus to handle them, we don't need the monk himself trying to do all the work." She paused, knowing that she wouldn't be much better at it. "Maybe...no bearing of children though."

A grin as Kyle once more put his arm around her waist. "Of course. That honor is yours."

And thus, it was now Daniel who did the thwacking of heads with his Tetsusaiga. "Save it for later, you two," he said as he and Lily headed for the main door. "We need to get down to the lobby and wait in line."

With boomerang and staff in hand, the pair went back to their room to get a card key, shut the connectingdoor, then met the two fourteen-year-olds outside to head back down to the main floor. Ludging those large weapons around proved to be a pain for getting into the elevator. Daniel wasn't sure who had it worse between him and Stephanie. Her boomerang was pretty wide, but his sword was as tall as he was.

First floor, once again. Stepping out, the quartette walked back into the lobby, and was quickly greeted by friends, other congoers, and of course, the fangirls who squealed and begged to played with Daniel's ears. One would think he'd come to like all the attention, but it did get annoying after happening so much and so repetitively. A few were freaked by the fact that the ears were real, but for the most part, the tweaking and rubbing had begun.

* * *

One attendee of the convention perked his head up from his seat in one of the potted trees. He sniffed around, and found something that he knew he shouldn't have been smelling. But, after a few more sniffs to make sure, there was no denying that scent. "It can't be," he whispered in Japanese, being that he wasn't so adept at English, and it didn't matter since he rarely had to use the European born language.

Hopping from his seat, the little man bounced about across the hotel convention center, heading for the lobby in chase of that familiar scent. He'd had to leap back into the trees to avoid being stepped on, since one his size had that problem, and people tended not to notice when one was only half an inch tall.

A few minutes and three trees later, he sprung into the lobby where the line of pre-registered attendees was forming. Who was that scent coming from? It couldn't be the person he'd known, they were dead, had been for a very long time. And yet, the scent was just as strong as it had been back then. Who was carrying that smell on them?

Cosplayers, people dressed in jeans and anime themed t-shirts, a boy whose dog-ears on the top of his head were twitching, girls who were trying to get a hold of those ears...wait a minute, ears on the top of his head that were twiching _on their own_! The little being bounded further into the lobby to get a better look, not sure he actually seen that. Yep, those ears were most definitly moving on their own, and not from anyone's hands toying with them. But that was impossible! "There's no _hanyous_ in the United States!" he exclaimed, then bounded over and leapt from the ground onto the boy's shoulder. Before he could have been noticed, he hid in his hair, now being overwhelmed by that familiar scent. Yes, this boy was definitely the source of it, but how?

Well, only one way to really be sure. His prickle for a mouth and nose readied, he crawled over to the boy's neck, found a spot, and bit in to taste his blood. Which was summarily followed by a slap and him floating down to the ground all flattened.

"InuYasha-sama, how I've missed you...ow..."

* * *

"Ow." _Slap_.

"What is it?" Kyle asked as he glanced back at Daniel, who was pulling his hand away from his neck.

He shrugged and looked around, but all he saw was something that was fluttering to the ground like a piece of paper. "Not sure, felt like something bit me," came the reply. His neck didn't itch, and it couldn't have been a mosquito or something like that, not here in the hotel. Besides, this was Seattle. You didn't find mosquitoes here, especially when it was barely the middle of spring.

Did something that looked like a half-inch tall man with four arms just scurry away on the ground? He blinked and shook his head. He'd definitely watched too much InuYasha last night as last minute study for character. Still, that was way too odd to have seen right then. Had he gotten enough sleep last night?

It was about ten more minutes before they got to the registration desk and picked up their badges and promotional grab-bags. "Hey, who do we have doing the camera for our video assignment?" Stephanie asked as she remembered that they had that to deal with this weekend.

"Taylor, he's bringing his mom's digi-cam so we can do all the editing on computer."

Good, they weren't going to have to head back and get a camera from the school for that project. That meant all they had to worry about right now was finding Taylor and keeping an eye on him to make sure they got footage. That shouldn't be a problem.

_Wonder what goodies they gave us?_ he mused, glancing over as Kyle was checking the content of his bag. "What do they give us in these things?"

"Mostly stuff promoting whatever's coming out this year," Kyle replied as he pulled out a VCD case. "Oh, Bandai promo disc. Looks like they licensed Dot Hack finally." He plopped the case back into his bag and started rummaging through the rest of the contents. "Yeah, the usual con program, magazine, and promo stuff."

"Opening ceremonies are in about half an hour," Stephanie reported as she checked the convention schedule sheet. "Hey, who's this 'surprise guest'? There wasn't anything about that on the website."

Glancing to Daniel, Kyle gave him the wink to keep his mouth shut while he handled it. "Must be something they wanted to keep under wraps," he stated while a pair of girls they passed waved to him. "_Chotto Matte._" Handing his bag off to Lily, he quickly bounded after that same pair of girls and grasped their hands. "Such visions of beauty that I am unworthy to bask in the glory of," came the flattering words. "Please, celestial maidens, would you do me the honor of bearing my-"

_Whack!_

And he now had Hiraikotsu planted on his head. "Children," he finished, much to the amusement of the girls as Stephanie dragged him back to their companions, acting completely like an irritated woman who doing those two a favor by taking him away.

"Keep it in your robes, Miroku!" she hissed while glancing back at the girls. Yep, they were having a good laugh, just like Kyle had planned. "They have no need of your brand of attention!"

Yep, definitely a crowd pleaser. One of those girls promised to find him later, while her friend was giggling madly at the whole scene. Ah, it was nice when the girls he did that to played along. A couple in the past had gotten a bit freaked until he'd quickly apologized and explained it was part of the act. Thankfully, he, Lily, and Stephanie were quite the local celebrities at this convention.

"Five minutes into the con, and already he's in full Miroku mode," Lily remarked while she stuck her little Kirara plushie into her bag. "That's gott'a be a new record."

Considering he'd not seen previous records being set, Daniel assumed that Lily was telling the truth. That or being sarcastic. Either way, he got a laugh out of it. By now, he'd finally gotten completely used to girls coming up and tweaking his ears, done a few photo poses, and was in general having the best time ever in his life.

And then, his nose twitched. What was that odd scent? He's smelled something like it once before, but that had been four years ago. Was his mind playing tricks on him again? "You smell that?" he asked, just to make sure he wasn't the only one.

"Smell what?" Stephanie asked as she glanced back to him.

Well, it was just him then. Probably just catching a whiff of something and his mind was messing with him again. "Never mind, it's nothing." He sighed, shifted the Tetsusaiga, and then felt someone pulling at his leg. He stopped, blinked, then looked down to see a little red-head boy standing there dressed in a little Shippo costume. He was the perfect height, and oddly enough, his hair was done up perfectly, and he even had little pointed ear pieces on. Hell, he had a set of padded foot pieces to look like his feet were really tufted like a fox. "Hello."

"Nice InuYasha costumes," the boy remarked as he looked over the group. He took a step around Daniel to get a better look at Lily, but she quickly realized that the kid would get a good view right up her skirt and moved her hand to hold it down a bit more. "How'd you get the ears to do that?"

So young and so thankfully naive. Wait, did his ears just twitched right in front of the kid? How was he going to explain that to the boy?

"Kistu, don't ask so many questions."

Walking over from where he'd been talking to a member of the convention staff, a man about Kyle's height walked over, brushing a red bang from over his eyes. He had a very vulpine look to his features, eyes resembling those of a fox, and he had something of a peach tinted Asian complexion. His hair was about shoulder length, tied back in a ponytail, and hung over his ears to hide the upper part. "Sorry about that, he tends to get a little too curious."

"It's not a problem, Mister..." Kyle glanced to the badge, then went wide-eyed as he recognized the name. "Kistunebi! _The_ Kistunebi Shippo!"

There was actually someone with the name Shippo? What kind of parents were that crazy as to name their kid Shippo? Hang on, didn't Kistunebi meant 'fox fire'? And Shippo was 'Seven Treasures', or 'tail', depending on the kanji and hiragana. But that meant the man's name translated to 'Seven Treasures of Fox Fire'.

"I didn't know many people in America have heard of me."

Kyle was about to fall over and start kowtowing. "I'm a _huge_ fan of yours! I loved Fox Fury and Sons of the Inferno!" He started scrambling though his bag, trying to find something to write on. "Can I...wait, you'll probably be at the autograph signing later."

With a grin, the man pulled a pen out of his pocket and gestured for Kyle to hand him the program magazine. "Actually, I'm with my sons as a normal attendee, not as a guest. We're out here visiting some friends, and I thought it would be nice to bring them to an American convention." Scribble, scribble. "I'm actually surprised to find I have American fans, my work hasn't been picked up by a western publisher yet."

The man spoke amazingly good English, missing the Japanese tendency to approximate words and say his 'l's as 'r's. Maybe he'd been coming to the country a lot and grasped the language very well. "If I'm not being rude," Daniel said as he walked over. "Shippo is your real name?"

"Daniel!"

Much to Kyle's surprise, Mister Kitsunebi just laughed and finished with Kyle's program book. "It's alright, I get that all the time. As to your question, Daniel, yes, my parents really named me Shippo." He handed the book back to Kyle, who was now just as giddy as the girls he flirted with as he saw that, not only had he gotten an autograph, but he got a sketch from his favorite manga artist as well. "Can't say I knew them too well, though. They both died when I was only a kid, but, I like to think that they had a good reason for calling me their 'seven treasures'."

Well, that answered which translation his name was. "It's just, your son is dressed up like Shippo from InuYasha, and with that being your actual name, it-"

"Ironically fits?" came the response as Mister Kistunebi picked his son up and set him on his shoulder. "Kistu is a handful, just like his brothers. Kaitsu is around here somewhere dressed as Kurama, and I think Kotsu is with the staff helping set up for opening ceremonies." It was then he noticed something; Daniel's ears were moving on their own. He blinked, then saw it again. Now it was his turn to be surprised. "I'm sorry but...may I?"

Confusion, then realization that the man wanted to examine his ears. "Uh, sure," he said nervously. "They're...real." Yeah, that look of shock was definitely the expected reaction. "The doctors said I have a rare extreme form of animalistic mutation. It just happens to be perfect for cosplaying InuYasha."

His eyes sparkled for a moment, and Daniel could swear that he caught a glimpse of pointed ears under his hair. That was another thing. The Japanese didn't normally have natural hair colors other than black or very dark brown. Yet both Mister Kistunebi and his son had bright fox fur red hair. "You even sound like him," he remarked while carefully examining the boy's ears. It was then that he felt his son crawl from his shoulder and onto Daniel's. "Kitsu!"

"He's just like a _hanyou_!" the little boy exclaimed as he pushed aside Daniel's side lock to find no ear behind it, then noticed the look his father was giving him for having said that. "Well, he does look like one, like in all the stories and Takahashi-san's manga." He glanced at Daniel, then suddenly braced himself like he expected to get hit over the head. Instead, he found that Daniel was kneeling down to let him off.

"I'm so sorry," Mister Kitsunebi said in apology while eyeing his son. "He's so curious sometimes and forgets his manners."

A shrug as he stood back up. "It's alright," Daniel replied as he cracked his neck. "I'm more than used to it, and that's actually one of the better reactions I've ever had from a kid."

"Danny, we gott'a hurry if we want good seats," Kyle said, now having recovered from his happily bouncing around. "Opening ceremonies starts in fifteen minutes." He turned to Kistunebi. "I'm so sorry we have to run."

Kistu pulled on his father's pant leg. "_Tousan,_ can I go with them?" he asked, now putting on the most cute and irresitable anime face that was possible, complete with large watery eyes. Was that even physically possible? "They need a Shippo."

He looked conflicted. On the one hand, he had brought his sons here to have some fun, and he knew that Kistu was in good hands hanging out with this group. Plus, he had ways of finding Kistu if need be. On the other hand, he also knew just how much his youngest boy was just like he had been at that age. Daniel seemed to be very calm and level headed though... "If they don't have a problem with it," he replied, then glanced to the teenagers. "You four mind having him tag along with you?"

They took a moment to discuss it, but Daniel seemed alright with having the boy tag along with the group, and the girls quickly deemed him 'adorable as all hell.' That pretty much sealed the deal. "Sure," Kyle stated for the group. "You want my cell number so you can keep tabs on him?"

Almost declining, Mister Kistunebi instead nodded and saved Kyle's number into his own phone. Besides, he wanted to talk to Daniel later about some things that might very much deal with him and his 'condition'. Speaking of which, where the hell was Myoga? Was he off trying to suck some pretty girl's blood again? Sometime, he didn't know why he kept that blasted flea around. "I'll give you kids a call in a couple hours to see how it's going, I need to go find my other boys."

Kyle quickly bowed and thanked Mister Kistunebi once again while Kistu was climbing up onto Daniel's shoulder, which received a surprised look from his perch. How did the kid do that? He was so friggin' tiny. "We'll keep an eye on him for you."

With that, the group of now five headed off to follow the crowd to the big room where opening ceremonies was just about to start. Shippo sighed, then felt something land on his shoulder. He quickly moved to a more secluded spot before picking the flea _youkai_ off his shoulder and glaring down on him. "(Where have you been?)" he hissed in old form Japanese. "(You were supposed to meet me ten minutes ago and go find Kotsu.)"

"(Please forgive me)," the flea replied. "(But something very odd is going on here, Lord Foxfire. You must have smelled it as well, the scent of Lord InuYasha.)"

Yes, he had picked up an odd and familiar scent. Being he knew one possible source of a similar smell was here, he hadn't paid it much thought, but thinking back, this had been in addition to that person's scent. He'd picked up the odd one when talking with Daniel's group. Wait a minute... "(Did you track it?)" he asked, voice urgent as he gripped the flea. "(Tell me, Myoga!)"

"(Yes, yes! It's coming from a boy who's dressed as the late Lord InuYasha!)" The flea paused for a moment as he remembered the taste of that blood, and the reaction he'd recieved. "(He has to be a _hanyou_, but the Americas have no _inu youkai_! And his blood tastes like that of Lord InuYasha!)" Now he sighed. "(And when he smushed me, it felt just like my late Lord.)"

Now Shippo understood it. No wonder he'd gotten that phone call frantically telling him to get over to Seattle as quickly as possible. If he was right, they'd found someone they thought had died so long ago. But how was he here, and just how had he survived? There was only one option right now. "(Find Sesshomaru,)" he ordered firmly. One look at the flea and he knew that Myoga didn't like it, but Shippo had long ago let go of old animosities. "(He is lord of the West and my equal, Myoga, and he's the one who has to know about this. Now go and find him, and report everything you told me!)"

The flea sighed, depressed. He never liked going to the Lord of the Western Lands of Japan, even if he was the brother of his previous liege. "(As you command, Lord Foxfire.)" And then, he bounced away and vanished.


	11. Chapter 10

"And we're very proud to once more have Mister Paul Dobson!"

"Yeah, even if you guys all wanted Scott back again."

There was a chorus of laughter as Paul Dobson playfully bowed and headed back to his seat in the front row. From about five rows of chairs back, the quintette of Daniel, Lily, Kyle, Stephanie and Kitsu watched in earnest while most of the guests were introduced. So far, there'd be a few Japanese guests, the voice actors from Ocean, which included Paul and Kirby Morrow, who Stephanie had proceeded to drool over before Kyle reminded her she was already attached to someone by groping her butt in true Miroku fashion. And then there'd been that producer from Sunrise, Sesshoumaru Taishou. If he'd thought Shippo was an odd name, Daniel was really wondering why anyone would name their child 'Sesshoumaru', being that 'Circle of Cruelty' was hardy a flattering name.

Even more disturbing though was that Mister Taishou looked just like the Sesshoumaru in InuYasha. Minus the large piece of fluffy fur around his right shoulder and the real Sesshoumaru was dressed obviously more modern, but he had some odd purple marks on his cheeks, and his hair was long and white. Still, Daniel had to wonder about that. There had been mention that he'd worked some on the manga as well, maybe Rumiko had thrown him as a character in tribute.

But right now, they were all waiting to see who this 'surprise guest' was, even though he and Kyle well knew. The wait was killing them though, why were they waiting so long just to introduce that person?

"I'm sure you all noticed that little note about a surprise mystery guest," the speaker on the stage said as he decided to finally get to it. "We didn't list it on the site because it wouldn't have been as fun if you guys knew about it." Music was playing now, very familiar music. This had to be it. He glanced to Stephanie and Lily, saw the reactions on their faces as they tried to figure out why the Zelda theme was being played. "He's the newest rising star at Ocean Group, just came in from a project he's working on in Japan, and is the first ever English voice actor to work in anime in Japan." A dramatic pause as people were now very much paying attention. "Currently starring in the recently premiered 'Zelda no Densetsu' anime, ladies and gentlemen, may I present...Mister Chris Blair!"

And coming out from behind the stage curtain, dressed in a form fitting white bodysuit and strappy green tunic, with the Master Sword in his left hand and a Hylian shield on his right, was that same young man from the magazine and the NDK photos. His hair was pulled back to show off those elongated elf ears, and with a yell that made people cheer out enmass, it was just like seeing Link himself leap from the TV screen. He even had the hat on.

"_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!_"

Well, that lacked anything more to describe how Stephanie and Lily were reacting. They were both about ready to flip, not just because they'd been completely duped by the young man into thinking he wasn't going to be there, but also because he had landed the role that any fanboy of the games would have killed to have; he was _Link_.

"Kyle, you son of a bitch!" Stephanie hissed as she grabbed her boyfriend by the robes. "You knew about this the whole time, didn't you! You knew he was going to be here, and you knew why he was in Japan!"

He grinned. "Blame Chris, not me," he replied. "He told me not to tell you what he was doing, he wanted it to be hush-hush." Yeah, that didn't help much to calm her down. "He's also voicing Ganon."

And the screams and cheers continued, while Chris was up on stage going through some routine of mimicking Link's actions in the game before he finally held a pose, allowed the cameras to go off one last time, and did a half-moon twirl to slide the sword into his backsheath. With a grin, Chris held his hand out for a mic and tapped it to make sure it was working. "Navi would have joined us, but we ran out of food on the plane, so I had to make a Menchi Special out of her." And the laughs resumed again. "Seriously, I'm so happy to be here this year, especially so close to the Land of Hockey that Paul, Kirby and I call home." He noticed a look from one of the other VAs. "Well, you too, Mark, but everyone still remembers you in biker shorts while blowing yourself up a bajillion times."

"It's more than Scott can ever claim!" Mark Hidreth snapped back, which got another round of laughs from the audience. "And biker shorts are better than a Peter Pan ensemble!"

"Hey, it takes some serious balls to wear this thing!" Chris retorted playfully. "And these ain't tights, I had one hell of a row with the Sunrise guys to make it an actual jumpsuit!" He grinned, took his hat off, then threw it into the audience, where a good portion of the female population thereof scrambled to fight for it as it landed. "That thing better be in one piece when it comes to autograph time so I can sign it!" And someone finally got a hold of the coveted cap and was squealing out their victory. Fangirls...

With his shield shifted back on his arm a bit so he had use of both hands, Chris switched the mic to his right hand and continued. "Anyway, I just got in from Japan after doing voice work for about the first twelve or so episodes of the new Zelda anime..." He stopped and let the cheers roll out, then continued when they'd died down again. "Yes, I am the official voice of Link, since Miyamoto-sama has decided that he finally wants spoken dialogue in the next game, and I'm the guy. But something you might not have heard is that on the new show, I'm also..." He paused, then began again, this time in that creepy and deep voice. "Ganon, the lord of Darkness."

Once again, the cheers rose, except this time some girl cried out that she wanted him. From Chris' reaction, it probably wasn't going to happen, not if he could help it. "I thank you for the offer, but you'll have to wait in line with all the others right behind one Princess Zelda Hyrule, who gets first shot at everything involving me." And the laughs came again. "You guys would not believe what a blast it's already been, and I haven't even been in the business for a year." He glanced to the other Ocean VAs and shrugged. "I know, I'm to expect the beat-down later. Just remember to give me my root beer."

"I brought about five two-liters of Barg's!"

Yep, Paul was holding a two-liter bottle of root beer up, which go the intended reaction of the audience cracking up at the sight. No wonder his friends went to all these conventions, this was just a blast. "What's with the root beer?" Daniel asked as he leaned over to Kyle.

"Chris has this weird ginger root allergy," Kyle replied while Chris was going on about how the series was already up for licensing due to how much a hot item it was. "To him, root beer is like alcohol."

Weird allergy indeed.

"I'm really hoping that ViZ gets this so that I'm on the English cast when it comes time for dubbing," Chris continued. He glanced down to one of the other guests and gave a weak smile. "Sorry Tristian, but we both know that ADV isn't going to put out the effort to get me if they call it, and we all know everyone is praying to God that 4Kids keeps their grubby hands off it so that it doesn't get ripped to shreds."

Once more, there was a round of cheers, and while Daniel didn't exactly get the joke, he had a feeling that everyone was in agreement about 4Kids. Come to think of it, he had read about how much they butchered and hacked any anime they had the rights for into diced onions.

After a few more words, Chris handed off the mic, pulled the Master Sword back out, and did one last round of the act while people cheered. Sword back in sheath again, and he hopped off the stage and took his seat in the front row. Not long after that, it all wrapped up, and everyone was either milling toward the voice actors or leaving to catch some anime being shown or to head to the video game room.

"Come on," Kyle said as he got everyone on their feet and led them toward the front row. They had to push a bit through the crowd, and was there a crowd around Chris. "Chris!" he called, but he wasn't sure if the young man could hear him. "Hey! Mini-McNeil!"

A hand went up to stop all the questions he was getting as he recognized that nickname. "Is that who I think it is?" Chris said as he got the crowd to open up and let in the group. "Well I'll be damned, it's the monk himself! Still trying to have someone bear your children as usual?"

There was a smile as Kyle and Chris exchanged handshakes. "I've got Sango, it's not much a problem," he retorted before pulling a bit on the sleeve of Chris' costume. "I never thought I'd see you in this. I would have expected the leather one from NDK."

"Unfortunately," came the reply, "Nintendo wouldn't go for it. I had one hell of a fight with the costume people. They actually wanted me in tights, and damnit, I refuse to wear those things!" With a grin, Chris brushed back his hair. "They chaff like nobody's business when I'm doing the full act on stage." He glanced over and noticed the rest of Kyle's group. "I remember the ladies," he commented to Lily and Stephanie, but it was on Daniel and Kistu that he stopped. "I don't remember this pup and the Shippo. They new?"

Thre was a round of nods as Kyle patted Daniel on the back. "Daniel's been with us about two months now, while we actually picked up Kistu just today."

Kistu looked at Chris, about to leap over onto his shoulder, but then thought better of it with so many people around. "Those are really good ear pieces," he remarked, being he wasn't sure if they were prosthetics or not.

"I would hope so, since they're not props," Chris replied as he pulled his sidelocks away to show off that there was no line where a fake set of ears would have been revealed. "Real deal, kid. I was born with a deformity that's really worked out my favor." While Kitsu stared, Chris was grinning just before he saw Daniel's ears move. "Whoa...do that again."

He blinked, then realized that the young man meant his ears. "Like this?" Daniel asked as he made his ears twitch. While Chris was looking at them in amazement, he was shrugging. "Massive mutations, they're real, along with the claws, the eyes, and the white hair."

"You guys have a real life Inu now?"

Again, Kyle nodded. He'd expected this reaction. "Yeah, just like how you're a real life Link. You should have seen the girls screaming their heads off when you came out on stage, dude. It was priceless."

"That's because he told us we wasn't coming!" Stephanie snapped, then gave Chris a nasty glare. "You know how upset I was when I got that email, now just to find out you actually were coming here!"

With a grin while he used his left hand to scratch the back of his head, Chris tried to get her to calm down. "I wanted it to be a surprise," he said, trying to defend himself. "Besides, Nintendo wants to hype up the series in the US with the huge bidding war that's going on over it. That's the only reason I got the time off to come out for this weekend. Come Monday, I'm on a plane straight back to Japan to get back to work on the series."

Someone called for him, and as luck had it, was one of the con relations people, which meant he had to be off to one of the panels. He shrugged, grinned, and said his good-byes. "We'll be showing the first episode of Zelda no Densetsu today, catch me then and we'll catch up."

"Hey, any word on who's got the InuYasha slot?"

As he headed off to follow the con staff and the other voice actors, Chris turned about and walked backwards. "I'm stuck in Japan until July, it's definitely going to be Richard!" he called just before spinning back on his heel and heading off. Well that clinched any hope they'd had for him being the English voice.

"Maybe he'll get the movie," Lily said while they as well head out back into the convention. "Or is that asking for a miracle?"

"Richard will do fine," Kyle stated while he kept an eye out for roaming fangirls. "He's had the better part of a decade to get better at sounding nice while covering the accent, and when the series starts, sounding like a jerk all the time will work." He quickly pulled out his schedule and frowned. "Speaking of acts, are we going to enter the cosplay this year, or just costume contest like usual?"

The girls broke out their own programs, looking over the notes about the cosplay contest that was Saturday night. "That depends on how well Danny can act like InuYasha," Stephanie said while she glanced over to the boy in question. "If he can do it within believability, I say cosplay." There was a wicked grin on her face as she then fingered the rosary around his neck. "And people are going to crack up when Lily gives him the Sit."

There was an audible gulp as Daniel pulled the necklace out of Stephanie's reach. "Not in front of the whole convention!" he exclaimed. "She's promised not to do that to me!" Then he realized something about the whole exchange; Kitsu had heard it all from on his shoulder. "Um, uh..."

"You guys have trained him do that!" the little boy squealed while looking at the necklace. "That'd dedication, Danny!"

Oh, good, he didn't get that it was a real deal subjugation rosary around his neck. "We've had a lot of practice," he weakly stated, now glaring at the other three in the group to go along with it. It had been bad enough they had to _show_ Stephanie what happened, he didn't want the whole convention to know about it. Having his ears under assaulted from the fangirls was enough, he didn't need them trying to make the rosary work for them too. Thankfully only Lily seemed able to do that, and they still hadn't been able to figure out why it only worked for her.

"So," came Kyle's voice as he finally started moving along down the hallway. "Do we just stand around here, or do we go out and enjoy this convention?"

The answer came in the form of everyone heading off to the game room. And there was much insanity with Daniel's ears along the way.

* * *

Meanwhile, sitting in his hotel room while getting ready for a panel that was in about an hour, the man named Sessohmaru Taishou was reviewing some papers and making notes on his palm pilot. He'd just finished checking how things were going back in Japan, and had spared a moment to check the stock markets. While he was a producer at Sunrise, he was also so much more, heading the powerful Taishou Nishi corporation that had a hand in almost every industry in Japan, ranging from publishing to entertainment to manufacturing, and many less publicly known endeavors. It also had branches in Europe and here in the Americas. All that tended to place him as a very powerful man in the world.

Someone else was in here with him. Calmly tapping on the screen of the palm pilot with a long fingernail, Sesshoumaru got up, then looked around for any sign of the intruder. "I know you're here," he said, sniffing the air, then raising a brow as he recognized the scent. "Why does Foxfire send his retainer to me, Myoga?"

Hopping up from behind a chair, the flea _youkai_ sighed and bowed to Sesshoumaru. He didn't like it, but the man was indeed a ruler to be respected. "Sesshoumaru-sama," he began as he rose from his bow. "Kistunebi-sama wishes me to inform you of some startling information that I have uncovered in regards to one of the children at this convention."

His golden yellow eyes narrowed. Yes, he'd smelled something odd earlier during opening ceremonies, but he hadn't been able to pinpoint it. Granted, that young blonde American had a unique scent to him, but he knew well the reason for that. This was something different, something he hadn't known for a very long time. "Continue, Myoga. What did he tell you to relay to me?"

The flea took a moment to brush himself off after the dust he'd collected bouncing around the hotel. "There is a _hanyou_ here, Sesshoumaru-sama, one that has the scent and blood of your late brother." He paused, eyed Sesshoumaru nervously, then was satisfied that the man was not going to react angrily to being reminded of that deceased relative. "He even has the ears of an dog _hanyou_, as well as your father's eyes and InuYasha-sama's hair. And the taste of his blood-"

His hand went up to stop the flea there. Yes, now that Myoga mentioned it, that scent had been much like that of his brother, who had been murdered so long ago. It couldn't be him, but then who was it? It was also going to be hard to find the right cosplayer, since there were several people dressed up as InuYasha here. That was narrowed down by the fact that Myoga had stated it was a boy, but that still left the trouble of finding him. Did this boy even know what he was? Wait, if Myoga had told FoxFire about this first and then been ordered to inform him, then the _taiyoukai_ of the South had probably already encountered the child in question. It was best to handle things quietly for now. If the boy didn't know what he was, it was going to be difficult to accept it.

And then it still left the question of who his parents were. There were no inu youkai here in the Americas, not of the kind like in his homeland. The great canine spirits out here were wolves and desert coyotes. In fact, the heads of his company branches here in the United States were wolf _youkai_, though they went by the term _lycan_ out here. The spirits of the Americas were rather unorganized like that; they didn't even have a unifying race name.

A thought passed in his mind. "Myoga," he intoned while now drawing out his steel gray cellphone from his coat pocket and flipping it open. "Return to your lord and inform him than I have been brought up to speed. Let him know that I would like any more information he may have as to who this boy is so that I may investigate this myself."

"Actually-"

His eyes flared while the sides of his hair moved to reveal his elongated _youkai_ ears while the purple markings on his face stretch to their natural form. "Would Kistunebi-san object to the _Inu no Taishou_ looking into a matter that is his business?"

"My lord, you misunderstand my intervention," Myoga quickly stated to calm the _youkai_ lord down. "I was going to say that Kistunebi-sama has already met the boy and told me that his own son Kistu is with him and his group."

Yes, that did make sense. No wonder Foxfire was so adamant on letting Sesshoumaru know of this, he'd already met this boy. He quickly canceled the call he'd been able to make, then selected a rarely dialed but very important non-the-less number and hit the call button. It was bout three rings before the intended person picked up. "Kistunebi-san, your retainer has just informed me of the situation."

"_I've got my son with him, Sesshoumaru, and if he's who I think he is, we need to find a way to keep a close eye on him from now on._"

The _inuyoukai_ nodded, then glanced to Myoga and gestured for him to stay for a while. "I have a suspicion that I saw them at opening ceremonies." He paused for a moment, then looked out the room window to gaze down on the lobby. "Out of curiosity, why are you here? You don't often come to the western countries."

There was a silence from the other end before Foxfire finally gave the honest answer. "_Kouga called me about a month ago and told me I had to attend this convention, guest or not. It had sounded urgent, and now I know why._" Another pause. "_It's a good thing I brought my boys along with me, Kitsu is the perfect way to keep tabs on Daniel._"

Daniel? He had a western name? Yes, this was more and more confirming his suspicions as to the boy's identity. But if he was right, then how did the child end up here in the United States, let alone this era? He'd have to check into that old well back in Tokyo and see if that had something to do with it.

"_Something else,_" Foxfire continued. "_I can feel the energy of the Shikon no Tama. There's a shard here, and we both know what that means._"

A shard of the Jewel of Four Souls here? That was an impossibility, there were no more shards of the Jewel, not since five hundred years ago when it had be restored. Granted, its power had never been used as meant to be, but no one had shattered the Jewel since, and it was sitting in a sealed vault that was under his control. Wait...there had been a piece missing when he'd been given the Jewel to protect. This indeed was something to be concerned about. "You think that it's the boy?"

A confirming sound. "_I can smell it on him, Sesshoumaru. Daniel has the missing Shard, but I think he doesn't realize he has it._"

Indeed, it was doubtful that this boy knew much of anything relating to what he really was. Perhaps he should, as soon as possible, find this boy and plan out how to keep an eye on him. "Your information has been most helpful, Kistunebi-san. I will expect to speak with you in person later. Until then." _Click._ "Return to your lord," he stated to Myoga while shutting his phone and slipping it back into his coat pocket. "I will be meeting with him to discuss how we should proceed from here after I meet this boy."

The flea remained on the chair back for a moment longer than he was expected to, then finally hopped down and scurried away. After so long, was it possible that this boy was the person they thought had died so long ago? They'd assumed the infant dead, though there was no sign of the body or any remains, while there had been of his parents. But, here, in this country and this era?

Only time would tell if this child was indeed the son of his one time master.


	12. Chapter 11

"Get ready to eat dance pad, monk!" 

"Only in your dreams, pup!" 

Inside the gaming room, it was packed, with hordes of TVs hooked up to Gamecubes, PS2s, and X-Boxes, arcade machines, and the two large Dance Dance Revolution machines that were the center of attention. At the moment, with the machine on random selection mode, it was Daniel and Kyle who were going head to head on DDR Max2, neither one missing a single beat on the second song of the set. 

"Come on, Inu! Show that monk who's got the moves!" 

He dropped down, now tapping the dance pad with both hands and feet just as Kyle did the same with practiced ease. There was at least a dozen people cheering on as the pair kept up perfectly with each song, and the audience was still growing. Even the game room staff were watching in amazement at the two teenagers. 

Lily was jumping up and down in excitement as the two boys rose back up, then suddenly switched dance pads and caught the delay steps perfectly. "Whoo!" 

"How the hell did they do that!" 

There was a big grin on Daniel's face as he and Kyle switched back over on the pads at the break in steps, went right back into tapping the pads, then dipped back and tapped the back pad just as the last step of the song came up. "Booyah, monk!" he cried as he bounced about to keep his joints loose in the few seconds before the next song. "Let's see how long you can go!" 

"I'd ask you the same thing," Kyle replied just before hopping into action just as the first steps came on screen. "Try and keep up!" 

Hs own feet moving in a blur, Daniel suddenly started spinning about at the double hit steps, then doing crossovers. At that point, Kyle knew that the boy was just trying to show off. Just to prove he wasn't to be outdone, however, he reverted to the full use of limbs and was tapping the pads with hands and feet while Daniel was more than keeping up the pace. "Your kung-fu is good," Kyle commented as he stood back up. "But mine, puppy, is better!" 

"Yours is not leet!" came the snappy comeback when Daniel proceeded to rack up straight Perfects without one break in the chain. He dropped down, tapped the side pads with his hands, then caught the vertical pads with his feet and leapt back up and went right in time with the series of rapid fire steps that had him moving like liquid on the pad. "Fear the leet ninja, and be powned!" 

Even Kistu was cheering the boys on as they kept getting even more competitive. The last step came and Daniel was once more bouncing about on the dance pad as the fourth song came on. "How much do they play this game!" he asked from his perch on Lily's shoulder. 

"A good five or six hours every weekend," Stephanie replied just as the two went right back into the dance. "And that's just the weekend, I don't even wann'a think about the rest of the week!" 

Dip, hands, turnabout, and they switched dance pads once again as everyone let out a cheer. There was almost two dozen people crowded around the machine now, and this was just the second time those two had taken to the machine. Most of the girls in the audience couldn't decide which boy to cheer for, while most of the guys were cheering on Daniel. After all, his character _was_ the rough and tough of them between InuYasha and Miroku. 

Once more, they switched pads, now having to move even faster as the beat sped up and the steps started bunching up. Still, neither boy missed a single beat, and the combo chains just kept growing until the final step. 

"Whoo!" Kyle exclaimed as he wiped his forehead. "Last one, Inu! Think you can handle it?" 

"And give into a monk?" came Daniel's retort while he just grinned and got ready. "Never! It's time for you to get burned by the heat, Miroku!" 

Yeah, he was actually getting into that frame of mind finally, though it was more playful than arrogant. Still, it seemed to be a huge crowd pleaser, and even Kistu was bouncing from on Lily's shoulders. 

"_**Final Stage!**_" 

Of all ironies, the last song had matched Daniel's words perfectly as they leapt into Burning Heat. Step after step they hit to keep up the chain that would have been near the thousands if the previous chains carried over from the previous rounds. A leap and a twirl, and Daniel broke into a chain of Perfects that ran for almost fifty steps before his timing was off just enough for a Great. 

"You're slipping, Young Asshopper!" Kyle remarked, though his own chain was an even switch between Perfect and Great. "I would have expected better of you than that!" 

He bent back, shifting around on his hands and feet to keep up the pace and restart his Perfect chain. "How about a Bakuryuuha break!" he cried as he kept hitting at just the right time. "We are so entering the contest tomorrow!" 

"Hell yeah!" Kyle grinned, then suddenly slipped on his timing and missed a few steps to break his own chain. "Ah, crap!" he cried out as he quickly moved to catch up, but he'd already lost the combo chain. He kept up after than, but once it was over, he groaned when the results for all five rounds came up. "Sonuva...I can't believe I missed that!" 

His staff was handed back to him as he got off the dance pad, but it wasn't until Stephanie gave him a nice kiss on the lips that he cheered up. "Your ass is so going down at the contest, pup!" 

With his teeth flashing to show his canines, Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Any time, monk," he replied while getting his Tetsusaiga. "Where to now?" 

Her convention program in hand, Stephanie looked at the list to see what was going on. "InuYasha episodes one through four in Anime Three...like we need that, we're the real thing here." 

"Oh! They're going to be showing the first episode of Zelda no Densetsu in Anime One!" Lily cried as she got a look at the schedule. "We have to see that, I wann'a hear what Chris sounds like as Link and Ganon!" 

He checked his cell clock. "We got about twenty minutes before they put that on. Chris should still be in the voice actors panel, wann'a go check that out?" 

With a unanimous agreement, the five headed out of the game room and through the halls toward the panel in question. They could tell which room it was because of the laughs that could be heard coming from inside, and walked in to see that Chris was having some kind of mock fight with Kirby via the mics. "_Sankon Tetsusou!_" came the familiar attack cry as Chris mimicked clawing his fellow voice actor from across the table. "Beat a Soul Shatter Iron Claw, Mister 'Nameless Soldier'!" 

"Should I?" Kirby asked as he glanced to Paul, who merely grinned and nodded deviously. And so, Kirby acted as if he was pulling something from around his right arm just as he held it towards the blonde. "Meet my Wind Tunnel!" 

A round of laughs as he tried vocalizing the sound effect, especially from Kyle as he almost doubled over. 

"Bugger, who put the Hoover from Hell in his arm!" came the response from Chris, who was still laughing regardless. A shift of voice as he looked at to the audience and shrugged. "Eh, I said it before, and I'll say it again," he remarked in perfect imitation of Rattrap. "We're all gonn'a die!" He grinned as everyone started cracking up, then glanced over to see the new arrivals. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the dog and his pals themselves! Come on in, we won't bite much!" 

"Maybe you won't," Paul stated with a grin. "But I can't promise that on Gendo here." 

As another round of laughs rang out, Tristian MacAvery gave a shocked expression as he held up his hands. "I was only trying to run a daycare!" he exclaimed innocently in the proper character voice. 

The laughs just kept coming until finally the group of voice actors on stage let it die back down. "So I get back from Japan after being everyone's favorite pointy eared hero for three months to find out that Kirby here is going to be everyone's favorite lecherous monk for the next what, two or three years?" 

"We're still not sure how long," Kirby replied as he quickly drank some water. "We start the dubbing for InuYasha in the next couple months so that it hits Cartoon Network in August, and the show's not even remotely near over in Japan. By the way, Richard sends his sympathies since he knew how much you wanted the role." 

Chris gave a snort while downing his own water. "Yeah, and it still probably wouldn't make the fans happy. A bunch of them are already screaming bloody murder over the fact that an American is the voice of Link in Japan." He took another drink of his water, then continued. "Granted, I'm a big fan of subs, but this is the one time they can get the same guy in both languages, they should be happy that it won't suck!" 

There was a loud applause for that statement, and Chris picked up his sword to raise it into the air as thanks. He set it back down next to his seat, then gave a big grin while looking down to Mark Hidreth. "You look rather lonely down there, Mark. Please don't go self-detonating on us again." 

"Only when you or Scott get out the biker shorts," came the snarky reply as Mark gave a chuckle. "Which reminds me." He reached down under the table and pulled out what looked like a model box. He tossed it to Chris, who caught it deftly and broke into a fit of giggles as he saw what it was. "Scott wishes you a very belated Merry Christmas." 

Once more, everyone was laughing while Chris held up the box to show that it was a model kit of Deathscythe Hell custom. "I got my giant robot back!" he cried out as Duo Maxwell. "The God of Death rides again, whoo!" 

Now leaning over to Paul, Kirby held the mic close to his mouth. "Note to self; don't give Mini-McNeil a giant machine of doom for his birthday." He grinned while the audience busted up laughing and Chris replied by sticking his tongue out and razzing Kirby. "Hey, you know the rules. Don't put it out unless you intend to use it." 

With a series of blinks, Chris looked out into the audience, then grinned. "Any lovely young and single ladies out there?" he stated, much to the amusement of the female population of the crowd. "My name is Link, I'm a cooler elfboy than Legolas, and I can be found in room six-fifteen after the show." 

"I thought I was supposed to be the one who asks them to bear my children," Kirby remarked, and ended up getting another loud round of laughs. "Don't you already have a girlfriend, being the Hero of Hyrule and all that?" 

"Like she puts out." 

Kyle was about to fall out of his seat from how hard he was laughing. Crude as the humor was, it was still managing to stay clean as far as actual language went. "Man, I can't believe him." 

"You know, I wish I could keep this going, but I gotta' get over to Anime One to introduce _my_ new show." Chris nodded as people gave out cries of disappointment. "I know, I know. But I'm not going anywhere this weekend, and I'll be sure to come hang out at the dance tonight." With that, he got up, slipped the sword and sheath across his chest, then fixed the shield onto his right arm before holding up the model box to get a cheer out of the audience. "See you guys later!" 

Kyle nudged Stephanie to let her know that they were going. "That's our cue," he said while the group picked up their stuff and headed out to follow Chris. Kyle was the first to catch up with the young man. "I was hoping we'd catch you before the sneak preview." 

"Hey," he replied while grinning and accepting a kiss on the cheek from Stephanie. "Can I borrow her?" Chris asked while he gave her a look over. "You know I can't resist a girl in skintight black spandex." 

There was a warning eye from Kyle. "You're too old for her," he stated while shaking a finger at the young man. "Though, she does have a friend she wants you to meet who's not jail bait." 

As they got into a nice bantering fest, Daniel sighed and gave Lily a glance. "How did you guys meet him again?" 

"It was at last year's Nan Desu Kan," she answered while they all headed down the halls toward the Anime One theater room. "We all hung out most of the weekend, and I think Kyle has the tape with the Voice Wars on it somewhere." She grinned as they turned the corner to walk into their destination. "He and Scott were hilarious, switching back and forth between characters. It got so bad we couldn't tell which was which after that." 

He'd definitely have to watch that tape when they had a chance later. Right now, they were grabbing front seats in the anime room while the room was refilling. It was a few minutes before the lights went down a bit and Chris got up in front of the big screen. "How is everyone doing today!" he called, getting a big cheer. "That's what I thought! You guys ready for the Legend of Zelda!" He smiled and chuckled at the loud response, then brought the mic back to his mouth. "Before we get started, I'd just like to give you a bit of a rundown on this series. Zelda no Densetsu is the first anime every produced to have a non-Japanese voice actor in any role, let alone the main character _and_ the main villain. There's quite a few changes from the games, such as Link's outfit, which you see on me, and the hat went missing, so that's been omitted from his costume." 

Someone gave a cry, and Chris grinned when he saw the girl who had won his hat at opening ceremonies waving it around proudly. "And there's the reason Link has no hat now, ladies and gentlemen. Be sure to bring that to the autograph hall tomorrow so I can sign it for you, miss." 

As the lights started dimming more, Chris stepped to the other side of the mic cable and smiled. "Since I know you came here for the anime and not just to see me up here, I'll let our good friends take over and let you blow your minds away with what we came up with in the Land of the Rising Sun." The sheer went up again as he switched off the mic and set it on a stand before returning to his seat next to the quintet. "God, I love doing this," he mused while the screen came alive with a sweeping view of forests and a massive lake that seemed to span to the horizon. 

The audience was cheering so loudly that they could be heard back down in the video game room. And when the silver blade of the Master Sword appeared, even if just for a brief moment, there were cries of joy from the die-hard fans of the games. They actually took the lack of the hat on Link better than thought, and when they saw Ganon appear in that intro, shadowy and shrouded in darkness, Daniel was sure his ears were going to blow out from the cheers. Already they were all ready to die happy, and they hadn't even gotten into the episode itself yet. 

The first voice that was heard was deep and rumbling, filled with a calculating calm and evil as it echoed over a scene of the dark armies attacking a majestic castle. Was that really Chris doing those lines? Ever without any subtitles, it was better than he'd imagined. Zelda's voice was so sweet and innocent, and it fit how she was designed so well; golden blond hair, shining blue eyes, a silver tiara on her head, and a blue gown. 

And then, Ganon himself appeared, stepping from the shadows to reveal his true form. If the crowd had been loud when it was just a silhouette, they were now deafening to see his demonic form in all its animated glory. And the voice that he had was so creepy! It sounded so evil, yet so calm and patient, until Ganon began yelling in anger. Now _that_ was a frightening thing to hear. 

Yet through the whole episode, there wasn't any sign at all of Link himself. Glimpses of a green clad form, but it was dancing around it, like it was saving his appearance. And then, finally, in the last five minutes of the first episodes, he at last stepped on screen, holding a silver sword in his left hand that was glowing from having fired the infamous blade beam. And in response to the incredible fight that happened then, the audience went wild, rooting the whole fight until the final shot of Link picking up the hat he'd been wearing that was now thrashed. He looked up, turned toward the mountains in the distance, then said his first full lines and had everyone cheering out. 

Well, if there was any doubt before about it, that had just demolished it. The fansubs were going to be cranked out as soon as the fans got their hands on the first episodes, and people were going to be petitioning to make sure that Ocean did the English version, no doubt about it. At that was just the first episode. Link hadn't shown up until the very end, everyone was begging for more. 

"Sorry!" Chris said into the mic as the lights came back on. "I'd like to give you guys the next episode, but that's all Nintendo's letting me show." Yeah, he expected those groans and cries of disappointment. He didn't blame them either. "But, knowing your luck, someone will have the fansubs out soon enough, and you'll be watching it that way until it's licensed. Until then, just keep checking for the news, and hopefully Ocean will be doing the dub!" 

Everyone started heading out, which left Chris with about five minutes before he had to be at a press interview. He apologized for not being able to hang out longer, then stopped at the door when Kyle called out to him. "What is it?" 

"We've got a video assignment to do a report on the con," he explained while they hurried to catch up. "Can you arrange some free time so we can get an interview? The whole class will wet their pants when they find out what you've been working on." 

Checking his watch real quick, Chris bit his lip, then nodded. "If not tomorrow after the costume contest, then definitely after the con on Sunday. I have got to run now, but I'll see you guys at the dance. Later!" 

And then, he was running down the hall. The five stood there, then let out a cry of joy as they left the room and head toward the game room. "Yes!" Kyle exclaimed in excitement. "We are so going to get an A on this! No one else is going to have this kind of story on the Zelda anime!" 

"We have got to get footage from the first episode to put on the tape," Stephanie stated while they walked down the halls. "Even if Link didn't show up until the end, that fight scene kicked so much ass!" 

As he was walking backwards to keep in the conversation, Daniel wasn't paying much attention to what was behind him. "And no one expected him to be here! Missus Gallagher is going to-" 

He crashed into someone, stumbling and hitting the ground while the person he'd ran into grunted. Now picking Tetsusaiga up, he got back on his feet and turned to the person he'd hit. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, then recognized the white haired man and started apologizing even more. "Ohmygod! Mister Taishou! I am so, so, so sorry! It was my fault, please forgive me, I-" 

The hand that went up quickly silenced him, but it seemed to be a gesture that said not to worry. "It was an accident," he replied while looking the group over. He then examined Daniel closely and gently touched his ears. "You have an interesting condition, mister..." 

"Daniel Stevens," he answered, practically sweating bullets even after he's been forgiven. "I am so sorry, I should have been looking." 

Was he _smiling_? "You apologized for your error, Daniel-san, and I accept that apology." Mister Taishou raised a brow as those ears twitched. "And as I said, Daniel-san...you have a very interesting condition. It seems you've used such a unique deformity to your advantage, I commend you." 

Nervously gulping, Daniel nodded. "Thank you," he choked out while taking a step back. Something felt odd, something _smelled_ odd. Why was he feeling so small next to Mister Taishou, so insignificant? "I'm so sorry though. I should have looked where I was going." 

Again, Sesshoumaru held up his hand to stop Daniel right there. "Keep this up," he intoned while still holding that faint smile, "and you won't be very good at convincing people that you are InuYasha." He paused and glanced to Kistu with a gaze that let him know that he'd best find his father soon to get the news. "Are you five going to enter the cosplay contest?" came the question that surprised them all. "It would be a shame for such a well made group to not present their hard work and talents." 

"We were going to enter the costume contest," Kyle replied slowly. "Cosplay has been discussed, but we're not sure if we're ready for it, and we don't have a skit." 

There was a spark in Sesshoumaru's eyes. Yes, this boy definitly had that particular scent on him, there was no denying it. He'd been right to look for these five, and his luck had been incredible for the boy to actually run into him. "I'm sure such brilliant young minds like yourselves can some up with something," he said confidently. "You have the full main cast, and your costumes are rather well made. All that really matters is coming up with something that you will enjoy performing. Win a contest or not, that is the true reason for entering, is it not?" 

Yes, they were realizing his words were true. Humans could truly be surprising, especially in this age. Maybe five hundred years ago, he'd been proven right in his opinions of then, but over the ages, he had discovered that despite being mortals, human beings were very inventive. "I look forward to your performance tomorrow night then," he stated as he turned to head back down the way he had come. "Oh, Daniel-san." 

"Yes, Mister Taishou?" 

So polite and respectful. Such a contrast to the person he looked so much like. Yes, Sesshoumaru decided that he very much liked this boy's attitude when compared with his brother. Regardless of tomorrow night's contest, he already made his plan and decision on how to keep his eye on this child. "I would like you all to pay me a visit in room two-oh-eight sometime tonight, if possible. There's something I'd like to discuss with you all that I think you will find very enjoyable." 

And then, he departed down the hall, leaving them all to stare after him, then turn to Daniel, who had the most amazed expression on his face just before his eyes rolled up in his head, and he promptly proceeded to pass out from the shock. 

Five minutes later, as he woke up, they assured him that he hadn't been dreaming, and that they were going to take up Mister Taishou on his offer to visit him that evening. 

And the little flea _youkai_ who had been watching found he wasn't sure whether or not he should be worried. But, Shippo seemed to feel Sesshoumaru was sincere in his interest in the boy. Perhaps it was time to actually trust the Lord of the West. And that boy, he was everything that Myoga would have wished to see in his former liege. "InuYasha-sama," he whispered. "Why couldn't you have been more like your son?" 


	13. Chapter 12

If there is one thing about any anime convention that can be counted on to be a draw second only to the guests, it's the dealers room. It always has what you're looking for, but sometimes you have to be there at the right time, or you lose your chance. But if you play the cards right, you always find that hard to get things you had spent forever trying to obtain.

While Kyle was looking through the mangas for new issues of Sons of the Inferno, Lily and Stephanie was giggling over something they'd found at the doujinshi table, which Daniel had a feeling he didn't want know about, considering which part of the table they were going through. He was quite happy with going through the stuff that was _not_ shounen or shoujo-ai, thank you very much, and just what some people found so great about it, he didn't know, nor did he want to know. He'd picked up a couple of InuYasha doujins, the entire set of the Ocarina of Time manga, and was now looking at what looked like an American original series doujin.

"Journeys: Legacy of Gaea," he muttered, looking at the cover image. On it was the profile of a pretty girl who had green hair, amethyst pink eyes, and a lilac cloak, while a young man with brown hair, a tanned attire with red cape and a red emblem on the chest, and a large battle axe in his hand was in the foreground. There was some kind of silhouetted figure in the left-hand corner that looked like it was folding its arms. It looked interesting from the description on the back, and the art looked good, but who was the author?

And then his eyes went wide. "Kyle!" he cried. "Kyle, come take a look at this!"

His search without success, the older teen walked over to see what Daiel was so excited about. "What did you find?" he asked, then saw the manga in Daniel's hands. "Holy crap! You found Journeys Issue One! Do you know how rare this is?"

"Kyle, look at the artist's name!"

"I know who the writers are, that's why the series is so rare!" He looked for a price, then flagged down the table dealer when he didn't find one. "How much is this!" he asked.

The man looked at the manga, then checked for any sign of the price sticker. Ah, there it was. "Thirty five."

"Sold!" He pulled his wallet out, took out the cash, and then walked away with the manga in hand. "Oh man! Daniel, thank you so much for finding this! I've been going nuts because I couldn't get the first issue!"

Blink, blink. "Kyle, _Chris_ is the artist of that manga!"

Kyle was once more in happy fanboy mode as he clutched the manga. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he chanted before he realized Daniel was talking to him. "_Was_ the artist," he corrected. "Chris and Eric wrote Journeys about a year ago, and it went on hiatus when Chris went to work for Ocean because he didn't have the time to do the art anymore. That's why the doujin is so rare." He was about ready to start bouncing around again, but Daniel quickly thumped him in the back of the head. Damn having to check in the props at the entrance. "I am so having Chris sign this thing!"

You learn a lot about people from just watching them act like idiots. Kyle, for instance, loved fantasy style settings, and when he explained to Daniel just why the setting of Journeys was so different, it was obvious how it stood out in its way. He'd have to read this series, because the art did look really good, if nothing else.

"Daniel is so going to kill you if you buy those!"

And it sounded like Stephanie and Lily were having a little too much fun. What had they found now, and why would it make him upset? Wait, if it was specifically him being upset, then it was probably involving InuYasha because they were dead perfect twins, and if they were in the shounen-ai section of the table...oh yeah, he was gonn'a start getting those claws wet. "I don't wann'a see anything involving me and Kyle, you hear me!"

They blinked, realized that his hearing was that insanely good, then proceeded to giggle like little girls and purchased the doujins in question. This did not bode well for his mental image at all. "Tell your boyfriend to relax," came the remark from Stephanie as she stowed her newest acquisitions into her bag. "There's no yaoi...well, not all of them." Evil grin. Definitely not good.

A hand clapped onto his shoulder. "Try not to worry too much," Kyle intoned sympathetically. "I'm probably in there too, so you're not alone."

Like that was any consolation. Knowing Kyle, he was going to get some kind of 'repayment' out of it from Stephanie's over-enjoyment of those doujin. That would be Kyle's style, living up his reputation as a real-life Miroku to the fullest. Speaking of living it up, the Friday night dance was going to start soon, and they needed to stow away their purchases in the hotel room. "We should get going," he said while they gathered the girls. Kistu had already gone to his father, though they had run into his older brother Kaitsu, who had been dressed as a dead perfect Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho. They would have to find him later to make sure he could join them for the contest Saturday night.

Walking to the exit and picking up their props, the quartette headed out of the dealers room and made their way through the halls while getting stopped every so often for photos. It was about twenty minutes later they finally got to the rooms, put their props and all the stuff they'd bought inside, then headed back down to the main floor.

"When are we going to go talk to Mister Taishou?" Lily asked as they walked into the lobby. "I would hope not too late."

"I'm actually wondering what he wants to talk to us about," Kyle replied just as he gave a Sango cosplayer a nice butt grab. The squeal was music to his ears, even if Stephanie was giving him that subtle glare. She's be doing the same at the dance though, so it all worked out. "I don't know much about him, but Taishou-sama doesn't often take interest in cosplayers from what I've heard."

Well, that did make it very odd. If Mister Taishou didn't pay much attention to cosplayers, why did he have so much interest in them? They would probably find out when they dropped by his room later. "So do we go before the dance, or sometime during?"

"Before," Kyle stated. "During would kind'a be a drag on having fun, and we might end up going over there too late. In fact..." He glanced at his cell clock. "We best go over now and see if he's there, the dance starts in about half an hour, and I wann'a get on that floor as soon as possible."

They quickly turned back to the elevator, got in, and rode up to the second floor where they started looking for the room number they'd been given. Finding the right room, Kyle was the one who knocked, and he heard an odd barely audible gasp before some scuffling was heard. "Mister Taishou?" he called. "You asked us to come see you."

"One moment." A click, and the door opened for the four to see Sesshoumaru standing there with his coat off. "Please come in, I was just finishing up a call with one of my associates." Stepping aside, he allowed them to enter and gestured for them to take a seat on one of the two beds. Kyle thought he saw something moving from in the bathroom, something about Kistu's size, but there was nothing there. "I'm pleased you decided to make a stop before the dance."

A round of nods. "If I'm not being rude, Taishou-sama," Kyle began, since of the four of them, he was more versed on proper manners of the Japanese culture. "We were actually curious as to why you have an interest in our group. I've never heard of you paying much attention to costumers and the fans."

H tilted his head, eyes almost shining a bit, before he answered. "Normally, I don't," came his reply. "But as a producer for the Inuyasha anime, it is also my prerogative to find ways to promote the series in any of its forms. Takahashi-san and I had discussed the idea of an official cosplay group back when the anime was starting production, but we came to the conclusion that such would be a very difficult endeavor at best with regards to whomever was to preform as InuYasha." He paused a moment, then gestured to Daniel and smiled. "With Daniel-san, however, there's a great chance such a promotional troupe can be done. Of course, I wouldn't think of breaking up your group, so you all would be included, and I would of course meet with all of your parents to discuss a contract."

As Sesshoumaru finally finished, he noticed shock and amazement in their eyes. As well, Daniel and Lily looked like they were about to faint. Not unexpected, this was the chance of a lifetime he was offering them after all. "This would entail going to various conventions around the world," he continued just so that they knew the specifics of the offer. "Performing for an audience, making public appearances, and you would have to garner much study in other languages. But, if you think you can do it, and would like to, then I shall take the time this next week to make arrangements for you all." He paused and pulled his cellphone out as he remembered something else. "I should inform Kistunebi-san as well, since his son would do well with your troupe. You four can discuss my offer while I give him the call."

And discuss they did.

"He wants us for a cosplay group!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Us, to be _the_ official performance team! I _so_ say we should do this!"

Nods, but Kyle seemed to be considering things as well. "It's great and all, but it's also a lot of work," he stated. "We'll be representing not just ourselves, but the entire series _and_ the fans in front of the people it matters with. Are we ready for that? We just barely got Daniel, and..." He paused as he saw the distant gaze in Daniel's eyes. "Danny, you alright?"

He was silent for a few more seconds before finally nodding. "I'm doing it," he said, much to everyone's surprise. With a smile, he turned to his friends. "I've always been on the outside, even when you guys accepted me. This is my chance to be part of something and actually belong. And..." And he wanted to make something of himself for Lily. God knew he already had, but Daniel still lacked the faith in himself, still didn't think of him as deserving her affection. If only to prove to himself that he was worth it, he wanted to do this. And something made him want to trust Sesshoumaru, like he was a familiar figure from his life. Considering the irony that he looked like InuYasha and Mister Taishou was the real-life double of his namesake, it just felt right.

"I want to do this. I want to find a place I belong in, and I want to have all of you with me when I do it." He broke into a wide grin. "I trust him."

Well that sealed it. Daniel was the core of this group now, even if he was the new guy, and without him, they probably would have never gotten this offer. They all knew that it was going to be a lot of work, but really, it was going to be worth it, and they'd be doing what they loved to do. The only thing now was getting things settled with their parents. No doubt Kyle's were good to go, since he had family from Japan, and Daniel...his parents would do anything for him, and if he had this chance, they were going to give it to him. That just left Lily and Stephanie.

Finishing his call, Sesshoumaru clicked his phone off, then turned to the group. "Kistunebi-san says that he's in agreement if you all accept," he stated while setting his phone on the room desk. "So, what have you decided?"

They looked to each other, then decided that Daniel was the one to answer. He grinned, stood up, then bowed. "It would be our honor," he stated while rising up. "I can call my parents and-"

"Don't worry about that right now," he stated, giving the four a warm smile. "Tonight, I want you four to enjoy yourselves. Go to the dance, have fun, and allow me to handle all the arrangements." Pausing, the man pulled out his palmpilot and switched it on. "If you would like me to make the arrangements and discuss things with your parents tonight, though, I would be more than happy to contact them. Numbers?"

They were far too excited now as they supplied the necessary information, phone numbers and their full names. Sesshoumaru inputted the data, made a note to reach these people tonight, and then stood up and led them to the door. "As soon as I arrange everything with your families, I shall have an announcement put out, and if we are fortunete, you may just start as of this convention." A pause as he fingered Daniel's costume. "With all respect to your own skills at making these, and you did do a comendable job, we would have several professionally commissioned costumes made for you all."

It only made sense, you couldn't have an official group performing in homemade costumes. They all rapidly nodded, then headed out and for the elevator. Kyle was making the call to arrange a party for that night as Sesshoumaru closed the door, then turned the dead bolt before opening the bathroom door. "They've left, Jaken. You can come out now."

Crawling out of the bathtub, a small green imp that stood about two feet tall walked into the main room and tugged at the collar of his little business suit before straightening his tie. "Sesshoumaru-sama, may I ask as to your decisions in this?" he inquired while standing before his lord. "You've never shown such interest before in the humans and their obsessions with entertainment."

He glared at his retainer, causing the imp to remember his place. "You obviously did not see that boy, nor recall his scent," Sesshoumaru hissed. He allowed his facial markings to grow to their normal size while his claws extended out and his ears revealed themselves from under his white hair. "Daniel Stevens is my brother's son, Jaken. He is father's first born grandchild, and as such, he is family, just as my children and their offspring are." He paused, walked to the mirror, then allowed his attire to sparkle with light and transform into his white silk kimono, the yellow and blue sash forming and fluttering into place while his white fur curled about around his right arm.

This is how he presented himself to his children, and to his grandchildren and those few great-grandchildren he had garnered over five hundred years. And this is how he had appeared when he revealed his true nature to a human woman named Rumiko Takahashi after spending months telling her of the tales pertaining to his brother, inspiring her to write that now popular manga series. He rubbed his left arm, remembering how he'd regained that after having spent centuries with it gone.

Yes, humans. He dared not reveal himself to so many, since this was their world now, not the world to be ruled by the _youkai_ and their cousins in other nations and regions. They were not his equals, they never would be, since he was a higher being than they. But he had learned that humans were something to respect and even learn from. His own business empire relied on humans, he played their games, and he had adapted to their world. If not for humans and their inventions, he would have never gotten his arm back, which had been grown from cloning in a secret genetics lab he supplied funds to. The world at large had no idea just how much he had his hands in, and he intended to keep it that way.

Yes, he had ordered the children to enjoy themselves this night. Perhaps he should take his own advice and join the festivities. Certainly, no one would expect him to make an appearance at the dance. But first, he did have the issue of informing their families and working out the contracts. "You will be contacting Takahashi-san after I place some calls, Jaken. Inform her of the situation. Also, make the arrangements for this week so that I may meet the parents of these children personally." He paused for a moment. "And do a genealogy check on Kyle Miyamoto. I have a suspicion about his bloodline."

Sometimes his master's methods and judgement confounded him, but non-the-less, Jaken bowed and got to work while Sesshourmaru began making those calls. This was going to be quite interesting to see how this all turned out. He had to call the offices back in Japan, inform them that Sesshoumaru was going to be spending an extra week in the United States, and then he had to inform Takahashi that the old proposal of that performance group had just been put into action. She wasn't going to be very happy about not being consulted before hand, but this was Lord Sesshoumaru. One didn't argue much with his decisions if one wanted to remain where they were in the world.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Lily squealed while they stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the main floor. "We're going to be the official cosplay group of InuYasha! This is going to be so cool!"

There was a nod from Kyle, but something still felt off about all this. Why was Sesshoumaru Taishou taking such an interest now in cosplayers, notably _American_ cosplayers? Certainly, wouldn't he had looked for a Japanese group instead? He and Daniel were the only members of the group that fit the bill perfectly for their characters. Stephanie came close in the facial structure, though she couldn't pass for Asian without hordes of makeup. And Lily was so obviously not a dead ringer for Kagome. Well, actually, she had that face, and her hair seemed to style right, but it was too light a brown, and like Stephanie, she didn't look a bit Asian at all. Then again, neither did any of the characters in InuYasha, with their wide eyes and peach skin color. Come to think of it, Sesshoumaru had an odd peach tone to his own complexion, as had Mister Kistunebi and his sons.

Maybe he was reading too much into this. If they dyed Lily's hair black, she'd pull off the look perfectly, and they did perform well in character. Even Daniel had been getting better over the course of the last month since they had started him on character study, but he was far from perfect. He came off as more playful than self-absorbed and arrogant, though perhaps that was the best thing for now. And Kyle's parents would be thrilled, especially his father. Hell, one of his uncles in Japan was from the Taishou family, maybe there was a relation. Come to think of it, his uncle did bear a strong resemblance to Sesshoumaru now that he thought about it. Maybe a brother or something.

There really wasn't much to worry about. Daniel trusted him, so that was good enough for the rest of the teens. He usually picked up on it if something was wrong, and he hadn't reacted like there was. No, Kyle was definitely just being paranoid about it all. He needed to just accept it, go to the dance, and enjoy himself. Besides, Stephanie was being extra clingy right now, he probably was going to get some action later on.

As they walked out of the elevator, the four were surprised to see Kitsu bounding up and leaping onto Daniel's shoulder. Wait, did he just _jump_ five feet up onto Daniel's shoulder? "Dad just told me!" he squealed, oblivious to the stares they were giving him for that inhuman feat. "We're going to be the official costume group!"

Blink, blink. "You just jumped up onto me!" Daniel exclaimed in shock. "Kistu, that's...holy moley, how did you do that!"

Oh, whoops. No wonder they had been staring at him like that. How was he going to explain this? "Uh, well, I..."

"Hang on..." Kyle noticed something and stepped around to examine Kistu's backside. His hand grabbing the large fluffy tail, his eyes went wide when he could feel muscle structure in it. Something was seriously wrong. "Kistu," he stated in shock while he now noticed that there was no seam on the little boy's feet. "Is there you something you didn't tell us about you? Like the fact you have a real fox tail, and those are not fake feet?"

Gulp. This was not good. He'd gotten so excited, and now he'd completely blown his cover. There was no way he could explain this, not in a way that would convince them he was human. "Well...I...uh, that is..."

"I'd hoped I could tell you four at a more appropriate time," came Shippo's voice as he walked over. "It seems now is as good as any though. If we could go somewhere more private, please."

They stared in shock, but nodded and followed Shippo to a secluded corner. He sighed, looked around to make sure it was safe, then reached to the top of his head and pulled away to reveal the small leaf that at been there, and to glow while a mass of golden sparks swirled about his body. A moment later, a bushy tail appeared from the back of his pants, his feet were tufted like a fox, and his pointed ears were very bluntly obvious. "You're not hallucinating," he said while taking Kistu from Daniel and holding him on his own shoulder. "I really am a kistune, and I would appreciate if you four did not inform anyone of this."

Right now, they had to worry about just being able to talk. He was a real kistune, a fox spirit, and so was Kistu! That meant his other two sons had to be kitsune as well! No wonder they were able to look so perfect in costume, they were shapeshifting! And it also meant that what they'd assumed to be mere myth and story was in fact true; _youkai_ were real beings, and they still existed in the modern world.

"You...then...how..."

Maybe this would be a bit easier. "I came to this convention because I was informed of something that required my attention," Shippo stated while setting Kistu down. Now was not the time to tell Daniel what he knew. He had a good life, and he was going to have a life that would make him truly happy, it wouldn't do to destroy that. A few bits of general information on what he was would be alright though. "My name was once Shippo, until I became the _taiyoukai_ of the Southern Lands. Now, I am _Taishou Kistunebi_, the Lord Foxfire."

"Then, being a mangaka..."

"My face in the human world," came the answer. He placed the leaf back on his head to retake his human guise, though his ears still remained and had to be tucked under his hair in order to hide the points. "In the last five centuries, my kind have had to adapt to a world that is most obviously one of humans. Some of us retreated into seclusion, some became businessmen and masters of the economy, and some of us took professions that did not give such power in the human world." He smiled now. "I, for instance, became a writer and an artist, while my friend, who told me to come here this weekend, became a martial arts teacher and came to your country." A pause. "I believe you know him, Daniel."

Realization came. No wonder he'd always had attention payed to him, groomed to be a rising prodigy at his school. "Sensei Ookami," he whispered, then looked to Shippo. "Sensei Ookami is a _youkai_?"

A nod. "When the Japanese wolves were driven to extinction, Kouga left our land and came here," he explained while giving a sigh. The memory was not a fond one. "We've kept in touch ever since, and actually..." He paused again, then focused his gaze on Daniel. "You, Daniel, are the reason he contacted me."

Blink. "Me?"

"Yes, you." This was going to be hard to explain, at least in a way that let Daniel not know everything. It wasn't the right time, he wasn't ready to know who he was, and the horrors that he had forgotten and been spared of. "Kouga told me about you five years ago, saying he'd been training a boy who had to be a _hanyou_. When he told me your parents had adopted you, I assumed you were the child of a human and a _lycan_, it's what his kind's western cousins call themselves. The half-breed child being abandoned is not uncommon for them, since _lycan_ fathers cannot spend the time to raise the child, and rarely does a human mother survive giving birth." Again he paused and touched Daniel's ears, as if they were the biggest significance. "But now that I've met you myself, you're not a _lycan_ kinfolk. You're definitely an _inu hanyou_."

Now they all stared at him as he was trying to take this information in. He was a half-breed? Then he wasn't human at all, never had been. This was almost as bad as it had been when he'd been a little boy, tormented for being so different, told by the meaner children that he was an animal who only looked human. His eyes went to his friends. Would they still be his friends? Would Lily still want to be with him? His life felt like it was going to crumble down on him, like it was over.

Wait, no. They'd accepted him when they'd all thought he was human, and he was the same person even now. And Lily...she's always been his friend, even as children, even when he'd admitted that he'd forgotten all about her. They wouldn't abandon him now.

And then, Kyle said the words that made him realize it didn't matter what he really was. "Dude, you're a _hanyou_. This is so friggin' cool!" He laughed and gave Daniel a nuggie, ruffling up that white hair when the boy pulled away from his hold. "That explains everything! You're just like InuYasha, right down to being a half-spirit! This is the coolest thing ever, no wonder Taishou-sama wants you for this official group deal!" Now it hit them all as he said that. Taishou had been very determined to recruit Daniel. Did that mean... "Oh my god. Sesshoumaru Taishou-"

"Is the _Inu no Taishou_," Shippo supplied. If he had surrendered his disguise, he was going to tell these children the truth of his fellow _taishou_ as well. "He rules the Western lands of Japan, hence why he's taken an interest in Daniel." A faint smile as he decided that these four were going to take the truth very well now. Lily was even hugging Daniel tightly. Yes, they definitely were going to be alright with it. "But he also understands that Daniel has grown up in a human world, and thus, he understands that to separate you all would be a mistake. It's odd that you have never figured this out before, since as a _hanyou_, you turn human for one day of the month."

Wait, that was the mystery. He'd never once been a total human, no matter how much he had wished he could be. Daniel knew that such was a focal point of the _hanyou_ legends, and it never applied to him. Why was he different. "I don't," he stated. Now the two youkai were staring at him in surprise. "I don't turn human, ever. If I could, I would be throwing a party every time it happened, but I'm always like this." He paused for a moment. "What does that mean?"

Yes, this was puzzling. Daniel should have a day where he turned into a full human, when his _youkai_ blood was dormant. But this boy said that he'd never had such a day. Could it be the Shikon Jewel's influence? Yes, that was the most logical explanation, it had to have been the Jewel's energy. But how to explain that to the boy. "That is an oddity," he finally said in response. Shippo had to think it over more before he gave a full answer, since he couldn't give the real explanation without telling Daniel the truth. "All _hanyou_ have a day of the month, I wonder why you don't." He shrugged and smiled. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, that also means you don't have a day when you're at your weakest."

Kistu leapt up onto Daniel's shoulders again, and he still got those surprised looks, but this time, they were just lingering amazement. "Sorry about all that," he said. "Dad wanted to tell you guys before, but there were too many people."

"Understandable," Kyle replied while he turned to Shippo, now with another question. "I have to know though. You really are a _youkai_, and so is Taishou-san. Does that mean that InuYasha really happened?"

That question had been expected. Obviously, since this had been true, the children wanted to know about their favored series. "In a fashion, yes," he replied. "I did know a _hanyou_ who was Sesshoumaru's younger half-brother, who is the son of the previous _Inu no Taishou_ and lord of the West. Takahashi-san wrote her manga based on legends about that _hanyou_, though she filled in quite a few gaps with her own imagination."

"Ohmygod!" Lily squealed as she was now bouncing up and down while gripping Daniel's hand. "You really are InuYasha! I can't believe this, you're even cooler than you were before!" Whoops, there was that hurt look on his face. "I mean, you were really cool before, but this makes it even better! You're the real thing!"

Well, she seemed to have adapted to the idea that her boyfriend was a half-spirit rather well. And Kyle and Stephanie were enthusiastic as well. Speaking of Kyle, he did spark a memory on Shippo's mind. He looked quite a bit like that monk, though maybe it was just the outfit. Obviously he was of a mixed ethnic heritage, but still, it was worth checking into his family line. "Sesshoumaru will no doubt work things out with your families," he said, regaining their attention. "So, take tonight to celebrate not just the start of a dream come true, but finding a world you thought only a myth." He grinned, patted Daniel on the shoulder, then turned to head off. "I'll be at the dance as well, if you wish to ask me anything more." A pause as he thought about something else. "Oh, yes, that reminds me. Your friend, the voice actor."

That was too much to believe. "Chris is a _youkai_ too!"

"No, but he does have spirit blood in him." Shippo grinned at the expression on their faces. "His grandfather is a cat fae from the Celtic regions named Caliburn, Chris-san is a second generation changeling." He pulled back his hair to show one of his ears. "He's not inherited much, save the fei appearance and his ears, so he's able to pass for a human with deformed ears." Shippo let his hair go back down to cover the points, then shrugged and gestured for the group to join him. "Well, are you all going to the dance or not?"


	14. Chapter 13

Music pulsed in the air as the lights in the room were dimmed down to allow for a darker atmosphere. People were dancing about to the beat of J-Pop, J-Rock, various remixes thereof, and on occasion a song right off of DDR. And in the middle of it all, the quintet of Daniel, Lily, Kyle, Stephanie and Kistu were joining in the fun, moving about on the dance floor. Kitsu had taken the appearance of a young teenager, being that in his real form, he'd get his tail stepped on and risk getting trampled.

True to his word, Chris had shown up, now clad in the infamous red Duster of Vash the Stampede. His hair was even slicked up into the familiar spiky style of the character, and he had the trademark yellow lens sunglasses on. A lot of the younger congoers had cried out in delight when he'd stepped into the dance room, walking in just like Vash when he'd gone into the saloon in episode four. Ironically, the music playing when he'd arrived was the Luke Vibert mix of Tank from Cowboy Bebop.

"Someone get me a rope!" came a cry. "I want my sixty billion!"

"Screw the reward, I want the Vash!"

Yep, Chris was definitely enjoying the attention. Maybe he had gotten over what had happened. That or he was trying to smother it. Either way, he was having fun. That's what mattered.

Kyle was on his usual antics of flirting with almost every girl at the dance, and Stephanie wasn't much better as she switched off dancing partners almost every couple minutes. Those two really were a pair, but Lily and Daniel knew well that they couldn't help themselves, and that in the end, it was to each other that their loyalties lay. Still, it was pretty amusing to watch.

The call came just as Kyle was getting some water. It was his parents, who had just gotten done talking with everyone else's families about the cosplay troupe. He grinned, hung up after saying good-bye, then went back in to drag the rest of his friends out of the dance. "Great news!" he exclaimed. "Sesshoumaru set up everything with our parents, we're good to go as of this next week!"

To describe their reaction as joy would be an understatement. To say it was an explosion of victory would be closer. A few people looked over at them, but the music was too loud for anyone else to notice. But when the young man dressed in the red coat made his way over to them, he had a few tagalongs hanging off him. "Hey!" he stated while patting Kyle's shoulder. "What's all the excitement about, Steph got a bun in the oven?"

Well, that was unexpected. "Not quite," Kyle replied. "Mister Taishou just made a deal with us, we're going to be the official cosplay group for InuYasha!"

That explained a lot. No wonder they were so excited, they got what any group of anime fans would kill to have a chance at. "Welcome to my wonderful and insane world!" he remarked as he gave them a hug of congratulation. "So, you guys are going to go around the US or something?"

"The whole world," Stephanie said to correct him. "We're going to do conventions, public appearances, the whole works! He's even going to have pro made costumes built for us!"

And now the fans who had been clinging to Chris were now bombarding them with questions. Why them, did they have connections? They were the perfect group, especially with Daniel being as close to a real InuYasha as you could get. If only they knew what he had only recently learned.

"We're gonn'a throw a party after the dance to celebrate," Kyle said as they all stepped over to a corner. "You're more than invited if you can make it. I'll even have plenty of root beer for you."

There was that silly grin on Chris. "I was gonn'a say no, but since you'll have the root beer," he cracked while acting like he'd not cared much. "I'll be there for sure, man. What room you staying in?"

"Four-ten and four-eleven," Kyle answered quickly. "We're gonn'a order a bunch of pizzas, and-" He trailed off then as he noticed someone very unexpected walk in the room, staring in amazement that they'd made an appearance. And wearing that outfit no less! "Holy shit..."

Standing there in the doorway, appearing in his true form and dressed in his white silk kimono, was Sesshoumaru himself. He smiled as he watched the people who were obviously enjoying themselves, then saw his recently attained acquaintances and walked over to join them. "_Konnichi wa, minna-san,_" he said in greeting, then bowed slightly to Chris. "It is good to see you again, Blair-san."

He returned the bow. "You as well, Taishou-sama." With a smile, Chris nodded off to the teenagers. "They just told me the good news. It seems I underestimated you, looks like even you know how to have some fun."

_Just like his grandfather_, Sesshoumaru reflected in amusement. Chris definitely showed his Celtic fae heritage, especially in how playful of a person he was. So child-like in many ways, and thriving on the highs of human emotion. It was no wonder he attended events like this as much as possible. "I mostly decided to come and make sure our new performers were enjoying themselves tonight. I make the formal announcement tomorrow at the contest, which I understand you are to be a judge at."

A nod and a shrug. "I almost turned that down," the young man replied. "But, Paul talked be into it. Something about 'initiations', weird stuff like that." He smiled as some of the fans started dragging him back toward the dance floor. "Uh, seems someone wants that reward on my head. I better get back out there before they get a rope!"

As Chris was herded back into the crowd, Sesshoumaru actually chuckled, then turned to the teens. "Speaking of tomorrow night, have you decided on what you're going to do for the contest?"

Kyle and Daniel exchanged glances before they answered. "Definitely the cosplay," the older boy said. "We've got a good idea for a skit, we just need to have Kitsu reherse with us, and we got a couple friends who are joining us." He downed his cup of water, then glanced back to the dance floor and grinned as he recognized the song that just came on. "Steph," he said as he turned to his girlfriend. "That would be our cue."

She was giggling, and both Daniel and Sesshoumaru were looked at the two in confusion while they headed back onto the dance floor. Then the boy recognized the music and broke into a grin. "Dynamite Rave," he muttered while shaking his head. "It figures." Lily looked a bit bored at the moment. Maybe he should fix that. She was _his_ girlfriend after all. "If you would excuse us, Taishou-san?"

He had told them to enjoy themselves tonight. "Of course," Sesshoumaru replied as he stood aside and watched the two teenagers and Kitsu head back to the dance floor to join their friends. He was actually smiling at the sight, even when he felt that presence walk over to stand beside him. "I thought you were joining your female fans out there," he remarked to the elf eared blonde in red.

Chris gave a shrug and breathed out in relief. "I told them I was just going to take a break and I'd be back out there in a few minutes." He paused, biting his lip for a moment as he tilted his head at his _youkai_ companion. "I have to say, I'm surprised, Sesshoumaru. I would have thought that how Rumiko portrayed you was rather accurate."

Hm, yes, that was a popular image of him being spread, though it had been true of his youth in those days. "I have grown up in the five centuries since then," Sesshoumaru calmly replied to the changeling. "I have become more tempered, and more mature. And for my late brother and his companions, I realized I had great respect for them." He turned to Chris, his eyes shining for a moment. "How is Caliburn? I haven't had a chance to visit your grandfather in a decade or so."

"Still the wild cat he's always been," came the amused comment. "With how much of a horny bastard he is, it's no wonder I've got the out of control libido. Sometimes I question why it skipped my dad." He sighed, breathed in, then grinned. "That reminds me. Ayumi invited me to visit her at the beach house you own." Sesshoumaru was glaring at him. Yes, he'd expected that. "I figured I should tell you, just to let you know that I still show my respect for you."

The _youkai_ snorted. He could have lived without the way that girl was. A glance to Chris again. Alright, so perhaps he favored the changeling more than he did her usual companions. That didn't mean he approved of the antics. There was little he could do, however. "I trust you know how I feel about that."

"Sesshoumaru, she's a beautiful young woman." Chris hesitated for a moment, then decided to just ask. "I wanted to let you know that I haven't done anything with her as of yet other than taking her out to dinner a few times. But I felt I should let you know that I would like to go out with her."

His eyes flashed, but it was one of amusement instead of anger. This was indeed a first for him. "You've been captured by my daughter," Sesshoumaru remarked as he began to smile. Truly, Chris actually asking for his approval was a refreshing change fom how things usually went. Most of the time, he didn't find out about his daughter's sleeping partners until well afterwards. "You have more respect for me than I expected, Blair-san. You have my approval." There was that flash again. "Just make sure she doesn't present me with new grandchildren too soon."

"I plan on making sure to follow that order," he said with a grin. It seemed even the lord of the Western lands could show a sense of humor. "If you'll excuse me, the fangirls are calling."

And he headed back into the fray, leaving Sesshoumaru to reflect over the idea of that boy courting his youngest. It was an interesting match, and the boy had the dignity to ask his approval before going through with everything. Truly, he was an example of not following his grandfather's example.

And while Chris was being draped on by about four or five fangirls, Kyle and Stephanie were twirling about on the floor, garnering a bit of an audience. The former was teasingly flirting with any pretty girl in reach, while Stephanie played out trying to keep him under control. After about a minute, he finally gave her his total attention, which was rewarded by her wrapping an arm around his neck while she danced next to his body.

Kitsu had found his own dance partner in a Rin cosplayer who was about the age he'd assumed. Daniel and Lily, however, were staying with each other, well getting into the music. His hands at her hips as she swayed back and forth before spinning around to put her arms around his neck and giving him a rather enticing smile. It was hard to maintain his self-control when she did that, but he was trying, though he knew that she could feel just how much he was enjoy this.

"Someone's in a good mood," she whispered while pushing herself up against his body. "Having fun, my puppy?"

"Definitely," he replied, almost hypnotized by her movements. God, it was going to be hard keeping himself under control after all this. It was worse that it normally was, and Lily driving him crazy was a normal occurrence since they started going out. Maybe it was just the fact they hadn't actually gone dancing like this, or that she normally didn't hold herself right up against him that often. He caught a whiff of her scent and almost lost it. All he wanted to do right now was kiss her and lose himself in her arms.

Ten minutes later, they discovered that Stephanie and Kyle had disappeared from the dance floor. Daniel was finally under control again when he and Lily went to get some water, though he wasn't really too concerned about it for some odd reason. The two decided to go outside and cool off in the night air, looking up to see the full moon in the sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the hotel room...

pant-pant-pant-pant

Uh, never mind the hotel room.

* * *

As they sat out under the full moon, Daniel and Lily cuddled up next to each other. It was odd, he wasn't too concerned with how much he was being driven crazy by Lily, where he normally was. Maybe it was just that he was being more relaxed. After all, they were just spending some time together, sitting under the moonlight, Lily snuggling up in his lap, her hand softly laying on his...

"Whoa!" He suddenly snapped out of it as he realized what she was starting to grip and startled her. "Geeze, what was that!"

There was a look of confusion on her face. "What was what?" she asked innocently while curling back up into his lap. "I'm just enjoying some time alone with my boyfriend. Nothing odd about that, right?"

Maybe it was just his imagination. Lily wasn't like that, she was a sweet girl. No, he was just imagining things. Better to just spend a bit out here and enjoy the full moon. It really felt good to have her cuddle up on him, not to mention how she was...

Okay, it was _not_ his imagination. She had her hand where it should not be. "Lily, what is wrong with you!" he cried while moving her out of his lap. "Why the hell are you trying to grab my crotch!"

Blink, blink. "Why do you think that I'm grabbing you there?"

"Because you are, I just caught you doing it!"

No, no! He had to be imagining it, him and that spastic libido of his! That wasn't his fault, but she wouldn't do something like that! Wait, now that she thought on it, she had been...and why was she doing that to him! "Why would you have my hand there!" she instead shot back.

This was getting very odd now. "Lily, I just stopped you from trying jerk me off!" Daniel exclaimed, though he was careful to keep his voice down. Wouldn't do for someone to overhear them. "Just...forget about it." Like he could. Insane animalistic sex drive, with him barely able to keep control of it in situations like this, and now Lily was acting like a dog in heat. Hell, even the smell she was giving off was weird, and it wasn't something she usually projected. Wait a minute...that weird scent wasn't coming from her, it was coming from _him_. _He_ was giving off that smell, and it was driving _her_ crazy. But why? She didn't have the powerful senses he did.

Maybe it was just some weird _hanyou_ thing that happened when he got this excited. "Maybe we should head back in and see if Kyle and Steph came back yet," he said, standing up and holding his hand out to Lily. She looked upset now. "I'm sorry, but, it freaked me out. I don't think you meant to."

Well, it helped, but she still looked hurt. "I can't believe I was doing that," she moaned while standing up and heading back to the doors beside Daniel. "And what is that weird smell on you? It's like fresh chocolate chip cookies and butterscotch."

Okay, she could smell it. That proved it wasn't his imagination. "Probably some funky half-breed thing," he replied while opening the door. "Try to keep it under control, and I'll do the same." He just hoped that it went away soon. If this was a regular occurrence, they'd have to be taking a lot of steps to keep things from going too far. Maybe Shippo would know something about it, he'd have to ask later.

Returning to the dance floor, they found that Stephanie and Kyle had returned, but looked to have just gotten out of the shower with how wet their hair was. Mix that with the smell that Daniel could pick up, and it took very little imagination to figure out where they had gone and why. "Oh, man!" he winced, now walking over to the two and thumping them both in the back of the head. "Could you actually make an attempt to wash off the smell next time!"

"Wash what smell off?" Kyle asked as they didn't break from the beat. When Daniel glared at him, then finally resorted to using hand gestures, the older boy widened his eyes, and proceeded to laugh. "Oh, geeze! I forgot about that nose of yours! And don't you try telling me off, pup! What we do is our business!"

Throwing his hands up in dismay, Daniel walked back off the floor and over to Lily. "I give up with those two," he muttered, getting a cup and filling it with water. "I hope they're not like this if and when they have kids."

"Don't bet on it," she replied while she waited for him to gulp down his drink, then tugged on his arm to get him back on the floor. "Just try to ignore the smell, and have some fun." Lily gave him that smile again, wrapped her arms around his neck, and proceeded to turn him into putty as he thus forgot everything but dancing with her. "And I promise I'll not be putting my hands where they shouldn't be...unless you want me to."

As much as his libido was screaming at him to take the offer at face value, his brain, thankfully, outranked said sex drive and proceeded to remind him that they were just kids, and they had no business following Kyle and Stephanie's example. For that matter, neither did those two, but it was a bit too late to give them a lecture. He just hoped that he and Lily weren't kept up all night by any noise from next door. Wait, there was the party after the dance. That insured little to no sleep, and those two would not be able to go off and have a private two-person party.

Deciding that the rest of the night was going to be free of any other questionable incidents, Daniel resigned himself to letting Lily make him into little more than goo as he lost all thought with her draping from his neck. They would definitely have to do this more often, though make sure to avoid whatever it was that had triggered the little incident earlier.

And there was Shippo just now arriving, his older sons Kaitsu and Kotsu in tow. Those two headed into the dance, finding people to join, while Daniel headed off to find out if the kistune lord had some info that might explain things. "Mister Kistunebi!" he called to get Shippo's attention. "I need to talk to you. About..." How to let him know. Ah well, apparently rapidly twitching his ears worked. They both left the dance after Daniel let his girlfriend know he'd be right back, then headed for outside where they could talk privately.

"What is that smell on you?" Shippo asked as he caught a whiff of the odd scent. "It's like chocolate cookies."

"That's what I wanted to ask you about," he replied, ears drooping. "Lily was acting...really weird earlier, and it was when I noticed this smell. Not only that, it's harder for me to tell the hormones to shut the hell up."

That was an interesting way to word it. Shippo at first didn't understand, but then, after a moment, groaned and realized what was going on. That explained what Daniel had in place of his human day, and this was probably just as much of an annoyance once it kicked into high gear. "I'd expect this from a _hanyou_ girl, not a boy," he muttered while shaking his head. No wonder that smell was such a pleasant one. "Daniel...you're in heat."

Blink, blink. "I'm in _what_?"

"Heat. Basically when your body is telling you that you are primed to mate."

From that very red and embarrassed look on the boy's face, he well knew what the term meant. "I know what it means!" he shouted, then clamped his mouth shut for a moment. "But I can't be. Only female dogs go into heat, I'm a guy!"

Even more reason to figure out why this was happening. The explanation actually was simple enough to figure out; the Shikon Jewel had screwed up his body in a lot of ways, and thankfully, they were more annoyances than real problems. This, however, could become a massive problem if they didn't figure out a solution. "Well, you don't have a day when you're farthest from your _youkai_ blood," Shippo began, think of a logical explanation to substitute for the real reason. "Since that's gone, something must have caused your body to have a time when your hormones and reproductive system go into overdrive." He glanced up to see the full moon. That might be a factor. "Do you remember any point before when you felt like...well..."

"Sometime last month," he quickly replied, his face beet red even as he admitted it. "Around...the full moon." Now Daniel got it as he looked up and sighed depressingly. Yep, it was definitely a really messed up _hanyou_ time of the month. "This is just great! First convention, it's only Friday night, and I have to fight with myself to keep it in my pants!"

Among other problems. Shippo had noticed around the convention that quite a few of the adolescent girls attending had been acting very roused, as it were, and it had kicked in around the late afternoon, about when a _hanyou_ would normally be transforming into a human on their day. So it wasn't just affecting Daniel, he was merely the source and most influenced. That really explained the smell, it was some kind of pheromone to put females around him in the mood.

May as well tell the boy. "That smell you're putting off is probably a part of it too," he stated while scratching an itch behind his left ear. "It's a pheromone that makes females go into the right mood, though it doesn't seem to be making them flock to you, thank the gods..."

Yeah, that was a blessing. That really explained why Kyle and Stephanie had disappeared like that, and why Lily had been so...clingy. Granted, it wasn't a huge problem right now, but if it got worse... No, he didn't even want to think about that, not right now.

And then someone came out to join them. "I trust, Kistunebi-san, that Daniel is alright."

_Sesshoumaru_, the kitsune mused while the dog _youkai_ walked over to where they were standing. "We just discovered what he's got instead of the normal human day," he stated. May as well let Sesshoumaru know now, before he had to find out in a way that was very bad. "He's in heat, Sesshoumaru, it looks like it happens on the full moon." A faint smile as he shrugged. "Best keep that in mind for scheduling."

His eyes flashed as he looked directly to the boy. He looked rather embarrassed about this whole matter. That meant he wasn't too likely to use this to his advantage. Good, he didn't smell the scent of sex on the boy either. They'd caught it just before it did become a problem. As for those other two members of the group, however... "I will indeed keep it as a point of importance." Sesshoumaru gestured back to the doors now. "Daniel, I will remind you to make all attempts to keep your current problem under control. For now, return to the dance, and do not leave the company of a group." The boy gulped and nodded. "This will most likely end by sunrise, so until then, don't let it get the better of you."

Nodding quickly, Daniel was almost as red as his costume. "Y-yes, Mister Taishou."

Obedient, so unlike his father. That was definitely a good sign, now to hope that this situation didn't overwhelm Daniel. "Return to the dance, and do not speak of this with your friends until I have determined how to handle the problem."

He nodded again, then headed back inside, leaving the two _youkai_ to look at each other. For a moment, Shippo wasn't sure what to make of the man standing before him. They'd been fellow lords of their regions for centuries, but even after that long, he didn't fully understand Sesshoumaru, nor did he completely trust him. "What do you intend to do about this?" he asked at last.

Sesshoumaru didn't answer immediately. He wasn't so sure himself just how they were going to solve this development. They'd caught it in time, and so long as they kept note of the full moon, they could head it off in the future. "Right now, I can do nothing," came his reply after a few minutes of silence. "My current solution for the near future is to have him take hormonal adjusters when his day of the month comes, that should hopefully become a temporary fix."

"Medications will only work for so long," Shippo remind the dog _youkai_. "Eventually, his body will overpower them, and this will get really bad, especially if natural programming is not met in some form."

That was a consideration. The quickest and crudest solution at that point was to just let things be handled the way as nature demanded. However, these were children, and no matter how much nature had designed them to be doing that at their age, his own conscience refuted the idea. It was bad enough the older two of the group were doing things that they should not be at that age, he didn't need all four of the teenagers indulging themselves in such a way. No, they would have to find a more reliable solution in the future. But for now, once he was officially in charge of their welfare, the medications would do the job.

"If you would send one of your older sons to the party they are having," he said, turning back to the hotel to go inside. "I would be very grateful for someone to keep an eye on things, being my own presence would be a disruption, and Jaken certainly cannot blend in."

He was asking for outside assistance. Well, that certainly changed Shippo's opinion of the man. "I'll have them both go," came the kitsune's answer. His eyes narrowed then as he thought of something. "So when should we tell him the truth? About his parents, who he is, and where he came from?"

Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. To be honest, he hadn't been thinking about that. Unless Daniel specifically requested that information, he had no intentions of divulging it. But now, he realized that sooner or later, the boy had to be told. After all, there was the matter of his inheritance, though Sesshoumaru wasn't so sure how much worth that would be. "When do you feel he should know?" he retorted. If Shippo was that concerned about it, then he should be the one to bare to the responsibility. Him or that wolf _youkai_ Kouga. "I will leave that for you to decide, Kistunebi-san. However..." He paused and turned back to face the kitsune. "Be sure to tell him _before_ his fifteenth birthday, by the day we know him to have been born. If he is not ready in your eyes to know before then, I shall inform him myself when I give him what was once his father's."

Those vulpine eyes narrowed defensively while his disguise began to slip. "That's All Hallows Eve, Sesshoumaru. His fifteenth birthday is the one we have most to worry about, and you know why."

Yes, he knew why. That's why the boy had to know before then, be he ready or not for the truth. That was another thing to worry about. Daniel's time of heat was a major inconvenience, but it was nothing compared to what would awaken when he turned fifteen if there was nothing to seal it. There was no need to foresee that aspect of the _youkai_ blood in Daniel's veins taking over, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It was time to contact the old weapon master again. Yes, definitely. After all the favors done for that _youkai_, Sesshoumaru was owed big time.

"I shall see to protecting him from his own half-blood nature if and when it arises," he stared calmly. "Toutousai is well skilled at creating items other than swords to seal the blood of a _hanyou_. He will create something for Daniel."

The _taiyoukai_ turned and re-entered the building, Shippo merely stood there for a few minutes unsure what to make of this side of Sesshoumaru he had just seen. Was he truly concerned for Daniel? Certainly, becoming a father had given him new insight on life, as well as the fact that _youkai_ were not the only thing he'd parented. But, to be so concerned with the fate of his brother' son...

Maybe this was a Sesshoumaru who had grown up, even after all the centuries they' known each other. But Shippo still felt paranoid about it all. It was best to keep an eye on his peer. "Sakura," he whispered. In an instant, a lovely silver haired female kitsune appeared at his side. Unlike Shippo, she wore her ears in fox form, looking more like a _hanyou_ than a _youkai_ in human form, and she let her tail present itself out of a hole in the back of her pants. "I want you to watch over Daniel Stevens and his friends," the kitsune lord stated. "I'm not sure I trust Sesshoumaru."

"Is Daniel that really cute _hanyou_ who looks like your old friend?" she asked in a playful tone of voice. "Bet I could have all kinds of fun with him."

"No, Sakura." Shippo hissed. "He has a girlfriend already, and you are not to break them up just because you're in the mood." Gods, it was bad enough she was an old girlfriend and still had a thing for her employer. "Besides, I thought you had your eye on my son Kotsu."

There was that giggle that he still couldn't resist. Damnit, he was married, had children, and had promised his wife he wouldn't be acting like a wandering fox again. It didn't help that Sakura had once been his girlfriend, and that he'd taken after the human monk for a while. Gods, did he remember how much of a sexpot he'd been as an adolescent. "I mean it, Sakura. You are not to interfere with his personal relationships, no matter how much it might turn you on."

"Oh, fine." Sakura huffed and turned her nose up in an arrogant fashion, acting like she'd just been snubbed. "I suppose I'll be dragging your kit away from that party tonight. I'm in a mood, and I want some fun."

For the love of the gods, he wished that she hadn't taken such a liking to his son. More over, he wished that his oldest son didn't act like he had been at that age. But, Kostu was a legal adult by their races' views, even if he as still a teenager. No grandchildren yet, thank the gods, and Shippo hoped it stayed that way until his son decided to take an official mate, not fooling around with his father's assistant.

He turned to her. "Make sure you look completely human while you must be seen by the public," came the order. "If you and Kotsu leave to more private chambers, then appear as you please, but not in front of the humans. That's an order."

Once more, she gave that enticing giggle and walked past her lord, swatting him with her tail. "He's just like his father," Sakura remarked as she began to sway her hips while she walked. "He can't resist a vixen when he sees one. Too bad you've become a one-lady man, Shippo. We could have so much fun again."

And she placed a leaf on her head to transform into a girl about seventeen or so years of age, dressed in one of the most revealing costumes he'd seen. Oh, she knew what to wear and keep from being kicked out by the convention staff, but she was really pushing it with that outfit.

"Gods, I hope she doesn't get a whiff of Daniel," he muttered to himself before heading back in after waiting long enough. "It's bad enough he's in heat tonight, the last thing we need is a horny as hell vixen going after a fourteen-year-old _hanyou_ with a protective girlfriend."


	15. Chapter 14

_**Day 2**_

At about one in the morning, with about a dozen or so people crammed into Kyle and Stephanie's room, the party was in full swing. Anime playing on the TV, six or seven boxes of pizza going around to everyone, about a dozen or so gallon bottles of soda sitting on the tables, and one Vash the Stampede getting blitzed off of a two-liter of Barg's. Mostly according to plan, especially having made the big announcement of their status as official cosplay group for InuYasha. Then Paul Dobson had dropped by for a few minutes on his way to a party being thrown by one of the con staff to remind Chris that he was due to show up at said other party before it ended. When he heard the news, he gave the five his congratulations and wished them the best of luck.

Daniel spent a good half an hour in the shower trying to wash off the scent he was giving off. He felt cleaner afterwards, that was for sure, and all the soap and shampoo he'd laid on had certainly done much to cover the smell, but there was still enough that he could barely detect it. It was the best he could do though, and it was be over soon enough. At worst, they could expect some people to be a bit more amorous than normal. They'd blame the sugar highs, end of story.

"Hey, hands off my monk's ass, Feena!"

Sounded like some people were getting frisky out there. Having opted to just wear his shorts, Daniel sighed and folded up the costume. He did not need Lily coming in to help him get it back on only to get hit by his scent. That risked her trying something, and him losing the fight with his libido. Besides, he didn't want to get any food on the kimono. With that, Daniel opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the party in time for a couple of squeals in reaction to his bare top. Very much expected.

"One would think you have a better reign on who puts whose hand on whose ass," he remarked as he walked over and grabbed a slice of pepperoni and shitaki from one of the pizza boxes. Now arming himself with a glass of soda, and he was ready to start chowing down. God, he was hungry. "Hey, where'd Kitsu and Kotsu go?"

"Kit-kun was getting really tired," the remaining kitsune boy replied from over by the TV. "We sent him off to our room, and Onisan went off with some girl dressed like Cutey Honey." He gobbled down his slice of pizza with a sour look on his face. "Wish I got girls like that."

This did not bode well for the kistune lord's oldest son if what his brother insinuated was right. He would be the one dealing with the consequences later though. "Give it time," Daniel remarked as he took a big bite of his slice. There was Lily, now just about nuzzling against him. "Easy," he whispered to her. "I know you're in a really good mood, but-"

"Can't I just snuggle?" she replied while giving him those misty eyes and entrancing smile. As any girl automatically learned by the time she hit puberty, guys were utterly helpless the instant that look hit them.

Okay, this self-control thing was getting really hard now, but he was going to be so dead if he didn't keep it up. Not only would his own parents kill him, but so would Lily's, and Sesshoumaru would undoubtedly be not far behind to finish up the leftovers. Speaking of leftovers, he sucked down the rest of his current slice of pizza and washed it down before making a grab for some more. Distract himself with the need for food, best idea right now. "Awright," he muttered while taking another large bite. "But nothing past that." Swallow, drink soda, munch down pizza. Hm, he had a craving for sushi right now. He'd have to settle for his shitaki mushrooms. Since he'd slurped down his second slice, the whole pepperoni and shitaki box was now in his hand, with his third slice on its way down his throat after he and Lily planted themselves in front of the TV.

"Hey, Chris!" Kyle called to the blonde. "Shouldn't you be heading off to that other party!"

There were groans as the voice actor got up from his corner, root beer in hand, and apologized for having to depart. He did have somewhere to be though, and so, as he went out the door, Chris put out his hand and gave Vash's trademark quote before finally leaving. And five minutes later, things went back to normal.

"I wonder what our first convention we perform at is going to be," Stephanie quipped as she grabbed a slice of extra cheese from the open box. "Not here, we haven't even gotten the paperwork and stuff done yet."

A shrug while Kyle finished off his soda. "Not really sure. There's not much time for any convention in the next few months, but we will probably get NDK. Bandai tends to make that a big one for promotions."

"We might get another con at the same time though," Stephanie replied to remind him of the conflicting schedules. "Unless we're con hopping the whole weekend, in which case, we're not gonn'a have much time for anything."

Grabbing himself some more pizza, Kyle shook his head. "Doubtful," he stated confidently. "The best time to have performances and stuff is during costume and cosplay contests, and those are always Saturday night. We'll being doing one con if there's a conflict in schedule, and I'm gonn'a see if we can make sure we're at NDK that weekend." He paused for a moment, refilled his cup, then munched down on his pizza. "But we'll most likely be starting off with public appearances and photo shoots before we do serious convention hopping." Now he grinned while looking towards the resident _hanyou_ and his girlfriend. "That means you two had best get really cracking on your Japanese!"

"We're working on it!" Lily retorted before resuming her position of snuggling against Daniel.

Shrug. "I foresee myself being our main translator," he remarked as he finished his slice. "It probably won't be too bad, but you guys really need to do as much study as you can to learn the language."

There was a grin from Stephanie, and she took her chance to slap him on the rear. "I've got you for that, _houshi-sama_," she quipped while proceeding to bat him on the nose. "It's the pup and Lil that need to study." A pause as she thought about something that was along that subject. "Oh god, we're gonn'a be leaving school too for this."

"Taishou-sama is hiring teachers for us," Kyle muttered sourly. "Good thing is, that includes someone for teaching you three Japanese. Bad thing is that we're gonn'a probably be studying three times as hard on everything." A grunt as he imagined what it was going to be like. "We might as well be enrolling at a Japanese high school. There's a thought for you." He grinned now. "Those two going to high school in Japan, complete with uniforms."

The mental image was already planted in her head, and Stephanie was cracking up at the thought. Granted, she and Kyle would be joining them in that scenario, but it was just too funny. Just for the hell of it, she threw in Kaitsu and found the image of a teenage kitsune in a Japanese school uniform just too hilarious for words. "Oh my god, yes!"

That got some attention. "Fhat the hell are you laughing about!" Daniel snapped with a good amount of pizza in his mouth. Okay, hanging out with them had definitely brought down the level of his eating manners, not to mention he'd started to gain something of an attitude. "Mind sharing it with the rest of us?"

Her hand was waving at him, indicating that he really didn't want to know. "You'd kill me if I told you!" she replied just before grabbing some more pizza. "It's just too funny!"

With the pizza crust in his mouth, Daniel just growled and returned his attention to watching anime. That growl was turned into a purr as Lily picked up his pizza box, set it on a nearby table, and curled up into his lap. Ah, the wonders of attention from a pretty girl that could tame any raging beast.

It was another hour or so before Daniel was getting sleepy and decided to head to bed, just so he didn't pass out later on. Lily was already nodding off, with her head on his shoulder, and so, they both went to their room to crash for a few hours. Daniel took about a minute to set his costume on the desk, then crawled under the covers and breathed a sigh of relief. The light of the bathroom clicked off as Lily walked out. Good, he was probably going to be out cold in a few minutes.

Wait, why were the covers moving? She wasn't... "Lily?"

"Hm?"

Yep, she'd just crawled into bed with him. Not good. "Uh, Lily?" he continued, voice choking. "You have your own bed."

"I don't feel like sleeping by myself," came her soft reply as her arm came over to lay across his chest. Oh great, she wasn't wearing anything but her bra and underwear. This was not going to do his libido any good. "Don't worry, I won't grope you. Too tired."

That didn't help. Especially when she started snuggling against him. And that was when Daniel prayed that her hand stayed right where it was and didn't go any lower. He needed sleep, not to pass out from lack of blood to his brain. "Good night," he whispered, kissing her lips and closing his eyes in the hope that he wouldn't wake up to a surprise.

* * *

"I can't believe they actually did it! I didn't think either of them had it in them!"

"Steph, don't jump to conclusions. I can see her bra strap on her."

Who the hell was talking and why were they...wait a minute.

"Gah!" he exclaimed as his eyes snapped open and he shot up. Yep, there were Stephanie and Kyle, in costume and looking at him and Lily in the bed. Wait, what was Lily...that's right, she slipped into the bed with him last night. Quick check...yes, his shorts were still on, and her hand was nowhere near being inside them. Good, nothing happened. Hey, that smell was gone. Looked like they'd been right about it. "You have so little faith in us," he hissed to Stephanie while he gently nudged Lily. "Lil, time to get up."

"Hm?" She blearily opened her eyes, then smiled at him. "Hey, sleep well?"

"We've got company."

She blinked in confusion, then suddenly pulled the sheets tightly over her and sat up. "Kyle!" the girl gasped as she saw the boy. "Stephanie, what are you guys doing in here!"

"Ha, I knew it!" the older girl exclaimed while slapping her own boyfriend on the rear. "How was it! Tell me, tell me!"

Where had they gotten that idea? Lily growled and indicated for Kyle to leave the room. "Nothing happened! I swear, I don't know which of you is worse at times!" Another glare so that Kyle got the hint, and as he shut the door behind him, she finally got out of bed, still dressed in her underwear. "If you don't mind, we've gott'a get ready. Hand me my costume, would you?"

"You're not kicking him out?" Stephanie asked as she gestured to Daniel before picking up the shirt and skirt. "I thought you said 'nothing happened'."

Again, Lily growled, walking toward the backroom and changing her underclothes before getting her costume on. "He's my boyfriend," she replied as she walked out and started pulling her socks and shoes on. "And nothing happened, Stephanie, I just decided that I was lonely."

The older girl wasn't convinced, and so, she took the chance to pull the sheets off Daniel before he could react. That proved embarrassing. "Pitched a tent already!" she cackled while he quickly grabbed the sheets back and pulled them over his body. "What a waste, Lily! He was obviously in the mood!"

"Would you get out already!"

Now dodging the flying shoe, Stephanie raced back into her room, where she was no doubt telling Kyle all about it. "Gah, I can't believe her," Lily hissed as she picked up her shoe and sat back down on the bed. "I really don't know who's more of a pervert, Kyle or her." She sighed, then turned to Daniel and saw that he was beet red. "What?" she asked. "What's so embarrassing?" Oh, that. "Daniel, it's not like you've never had that before, especially around me. Now stop acting like a little kid and get out of bed so we can get your costume on."

Well, it's not like she hadn't seen that reaction from him before. Still, it was embarrassing, how Stephanie had purposely pulled the covers off in search of that. Might as well get up and ready. "Sorry," he muttered while walking over and getting the costume. Lily now helping him get it on, Daniel looked out at the window. He really should tell her the truth about what caused those problems last night, but Sesshoumaru had ordered him not to let anyone know. She was his girlfriend though, she deserved to know.

"Lil," he started as she finished tying his pants and pulling out the rosary. "There's something you need to know." Oh great, now she had a curious gleam in her eyes. "Um, about last night..."

Shrug. "It's not your fault, I just was...being weird. Too much hanging around Kyle an Stephanie, I guess."

No, he had to tell her. "Lily," Daniel intoned while pulling her up to meet his eyes. "it was because of me." Now he was blushing profusely. "I asked Shippo about it, and he says that it's some kind of 'heat' I was going through...that's what was making everyone so...well..."

"Horny?" she supplied just before batting him on the nose playfully. "That does explain the really good smell coming from you." Now it was Lily's turn to blush. "And...other things." She glanced at him and noticed the guilty expression on his face. "Hey, don't be blaming yourself, it's not your fault that nature decided to build a 'time to get laid' alarm into you. All that happened was that those two vanished for about forty-five minutes, which they would have done anyway, and I...well..." Blush. "Okay, in regards to what I almost did, that was your fault."

Wait, she was blaming him for what she'd been trying to do! He was the one that stopped her! "Hey, if not for me catching you, your hand would have been down my pants!"

The glare of death. Uh-oh. First rule of laying blame in a relationship; it is _always_ the guy's fault, regardless of whose fault it really is. This had been a rule since courting rituals and relationships first began, long before the advent of written history. And apparently, Lily was quite well planning to enforce that law of dating. "Daniel," she said calmly as she stepped away from him. What was she going to...oh no. "_Osuwari._"

Beads shine. Face, meet floor. _Wham!_

"Ow!" He growled as he pried himself off the floor five seconds later and leapt to his feet. "God damnit, you promised you wouldn't do that again!"

"You shouldn't be trying to say it's all my fault!"

Blink. "I didn't say it was all your fault!" he retorted angrily. "You're the one who said it wasn't, then blamed me for something that you were doing!"

There was that glare again. ear god, why were girls so hard to reason with? He could understand his mother better than a girl his own age. "It was your body making that damn smell which got me to do that!" she hissed while grabbing the rosary and pulling on it. "Ergo, Daniel, yes, it was your fault!"

And the door swung open to dump Kyle and Stephanie onto the ground. Had they been listening in the whole time! Not only were they sex-crazed, but they stuck their noses into other people's business as well! "Their first lovers' quarrel!" Kyle said with a grin on his face. Being that Stephanie was on top of him, one would think he was quite used to being in that position. "That is so cute. Oh, don't mind us!"

"And you!" Lily pulled her left shoe off after letting go of the rosary and flung it at the two older teenagers. "If anyone is more to blame than him being in heat, it's you two for being such a bad example!" _Thunk!_ Finally, she'd hit one of them! "Out, now!"

With Kyle rubbing his head and Stephanie sticking her tongue out while they shut the door behind them, Lily grabbed her shoe from the floor and slipped it back on before turning to see that Daniel was sulking on the bed. She'd really hurt his feelings this time, hadn't she? God, she could forget how sensitive he was about this stuff. "Daniel, I'm sorry," she said while walking over to join him. "It's just...call it a knee-jerk reaction. I'm just as scared as you are, but I know that you didn't mean for it to happen, it's just the way you are."

"I'm a freak," he hissed, angry with himself more than anything else. "Mutant or hanyou, I'm still a freak of nature." His eyes started to water over as he buried his face into a pillow, leaving Lily unsure as to what she should do. "I don't deserve friends like you...and you deserve better than me!"

Her hand gently pulled him back up, then took hold of his face and turned him to face her. "Danny," the girl said while wiping the tears from his cheeks. "Don't say that. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't imagine myself going out with anyone else." There was that giggle again, the one he just could not help but melt at hearing. "And I can't think of anyone else I want to be with."

And as their lips met, Daniel's self-loathing and anger melted away. Why he was such a sucker for this girl, he didn't know, but there seemed to be no point in trying to resist the effect she had on him. Now if only she hadn't started using that damn rosary again. Okay, so he could deal with the pain, but still, it was so embarrassing. Bed, meet back of head. _Hanyou_ turn into goo.

Wait...was someone taking pictures of them! "Kyle!" he roared as he broke off the kiss and saw the older teens holding a camera and snapping photos. "You two are so dead when I get my hands on you!"

"Hey, you were on a roll, lover boy!" Stephanie replied as she and Kyle ducked back into their room and shut the door. Daniel, as a result, was left to resort to pounding while they were laughing and taking a look on the digicam's preview mode. "Holy geeze! Lily, just how good a kisser is he!"

More pounding as Daniel was acting a little too much like a jealous InuYasha. Maybe there was hope for him after all. Then again, she didn't want him becoming too much like his character. Best to keep it limited. "They're not gonn'a stop so long as you react to it," she quipped and walked over to pull him away from the door by a sidelock. "Let's go, we have a convention to get down to."

Hm...make threats to sexpots, or go enjoy the weekend with girlfriend. That one was easy. Picking up Tetsusaiga and handing Lily her bow and arrows, Daniel opened the door to find Kitsu standing there waiting for them. "What brings you here?"

"We're a team, ain't we?" the little kistune boy quipped just before jumping up onto Daniel's shoulder. "So, what are those two laughing so hard about?"

Daniel' face go red, Lily's face go even redder. "Nothing!" they said in unison before making sure they had the room key and heading into the hall. Lily took a moment to pound on the hallway door to Kyle and Stephanie's room. "You two better be out soon, we have a cosplay to sign up for!" More laughs. Those two were no doubt discussing the younger members of the group and their relationship. Knowing Stephanie, there was probably a lot of speculation and assumptions being made that were just plain not true. "Fine," she grumbled, now leading the way to the elevator. "If they aren't there when we sign up, they can join from the audience. We only need an InuYasha, a Kagome, and a Shippo for a decent skit anyway."

"Whoa, harsh," Kitsu intoned while holding on by Daniel's hair. "Remind me never to tick your girlfriend off, Danny."

Like he was going to argue. "No kidding," the boy mumbled while they got into the elevator and headed down to the main floor. "Not like they don't deserve it, though."

And she didn't even have to give him the 'speak in my favor, or you get no love from me tonight' look. "Good boy," Lily quipped while both kistune and _hanyou_ looked to her in confusion. It was so nice to be the cute schoolgirl of the group.

* * *

Fortunately for the older two teenagers, they decided to join the rest of their group while Daniel and Lily were still standing in line. Kistu returned a few minutes after with a few bags of snacks for while they waited for the sign up to start.

"So, what do we have?" Daniel finally asked while they sat against the wall. "We still can just enter the costume contest, because I don't think we're gonn'a crank something out before tonight." Plus, any skit for an InuYasha group was just about required to have an osuwari from the Kagome...

That worry wasn't missed by Kyle. "Skit or not, Lil is still givin' you the sit." Oh good, Daniel was flexing his claws now. Well, that was one way to get him into character. "We get fifteen words for a speech on the costume contest, and she only needs one."

"But, but..."

Pull face around, kiss. _Hanyou_ learns to shut his mouth. "I'll make it up to you later," she whispered into his ear. Considering he'd just gotten out of heat, Daniel wasn't so sure that was a good thing. He wasn't still giving off traces of that scent, was he? No, a good sniff tossed that theory out the window. That meant that this was completely Lily talking. Mental note; don't let her go too far.

"We should just enter the costume contest," Kistu quipped as he finally piped up and put in his two cents. "Kyle can...well, just be himself." That got a couple groans from the younger teens, while Kyle just gave Stephanie a devious glance. "Daniel do something that InuYasha would do, like get ready to pound on Kyle, and then..."

"I give the word!" Lily squealed. Judging from how much she was bouncing at that idea, Daniel got the idea she was really stating to enjoy having that damn rosary on his neck too much. "And all Kistu has to do is act like his dad's namesake and be cute!"

Yeah, simple that. At least it wouldn't get drawn out, not to mention he would onlt get the osuwari once instead of possibly multiple times. Oh, good. The line was starting to pile into the room for sign-up. Everyone was cramming in as best they could, and now waiting for the staff to go through all the rules and stuff. Most of it was pretty normal rules from what Daniel had read on the web site; no random street clothes for a 'costume', had to be street legal, fifteen word speech limit for the costume contest, while skits were five minutes.

"Rei, report to Central Dogma immediately."

"And bring a plunger!"

Almost on cue, Chris and Tristan had popped their heads in and started shooting off random joke lines before racing away again. As Kyle then let Daniel know, those two were infamous for how much they'd just hang out in a con and goof off. No wonder Chris was trying so hard to make it to US conventions.

About twenty minutes later, they were signed up for the standard costume contest and had their group number. It was when they were heading out that Kyle was flagged down by a Zelgadis cosplayer. "Hey, it's the Lecherous Priest of Buddha!"

"That's _Monk_, rock boy!" Kyle gave a laugh as he turned around and high fived the Zelgadis before looking back to see how confused Daniel was. "Oh, you two haven't met! Daniel, this is Eric Sandberg, one of the guys from NDK last year."

Ah, the name he knew. "You wrote Journeys, right?"

A painted blue brow went up while Eric glanced to Kyle and smiled. "You pimped out my manga, did you?"

"Actually, he found issue one in the dealers room for me," Kyle replied as they all headed down the halls in search of things to do. Best bet was to try and find Chris and Tristan. Those two were no doubt causing a riot somewhere. "How are things with you goin'? Still hooked up with your Amelia?"

Judging from that expression on Eric's face, probably not. "We broke things off for now, decided to not risk destroying a friendship with the long distance complications." He shrugged and smiled then. "I got it better than Chris, didn't I?"

And thus Kyle was giving a slashing motion for Eric not to ever bring that up. "As much as he's been enjoying the fangirl attention, he's still not over that. I'd recommend you not bring her up around him while he's here."

With an understanding nod, Eric now noticed the inevitable that was Daniel's ears. "Whoa! Do that again!" he exclaimed after seeing them twitch. "How'd you do that!"

"They're real," he said. It was getting easier to tell people that with how much the anime fans went nuts over him being a real life InuYasha, in the physical department at least. "Speaking of Chris, he went down this way with Tristan, you see them?"

He shook his head. "I came down from back that way," Eric said while indicating the way they'd been coming from. "That bastard told me we'd be able to hang out this weekend, but I haven't seen much of him other than opening ceremonies, the VA panel, and the dance last night."

"He showed the first episode of Zelda no Densetsu yesterday afternoon after he left the VA panel," Kyle stated while the group proceeded to hunt for any sign of the two voice actors. "You didn't go to see that?"

"Couldn't, I had to run Liz out to get something to eat when that was going on."

No luck so far in the hunt, so Kyle and Stephanie just killed the time by chatting with Eric and telling him about their new venture. He was impressed to say the least, and told them that they had best let him know which cons they were going to be at in the future.

About ten minutes later, they found Chris in the dealers room, picking up a few things, like a resin statue of Vampire Hunter D and the Dark Vash statue. Eric was quick to cry out at him, informing Chris that he was a 'dirty whore' for not sending an email to let him and his sister know that the infamous elf-eared root beer lush was going to be at the con.

And as that was going on, Daniel was making sure to keep an eye on the clock so that they made it to the contest on time. It wouldn't help if they were late and got shafted out of going onstage.


	16. Chapter 15

Back on the dance pad, with half an hour left before they had to be back to the green room for the contest, Kyle and Daniel were in the final round of the video game room tournament. There was a huge audience around them, hooting and cheering for one of the two while the music kept playing and they kept racking up the combo chains. At this rate, they'd probably go into a sudden death round just to figure out which one of them was going to win.

"Just give in and eat the dog chow!"

That was all Daniel needed to shift gears and drop back to use his hands while moving about on the pad and rack up Perfect after Perfect. He had a big grin on his face when Kyle suddenly slipped on a step and lost his chain, while the combo chain on Daniel's side was still growing. "You're better off stickin' to grabbing girls' butts, Monk!" he exclaimed as he hit the last step and finished up the set. It was no contest then who'd won the last round.

Kyle was rather sore about it, having lost by just one step, but, even as Daniel was handed the joystick trophy, he decided to applaud his friend. Better to cheer him on rather than be bitter. He'd take him down next time, anyway.

That's when his cell phone rang. Kyle fished it from out from under his costume, flipped it open, then hit the talk button. That number was one he didn't recognize. "Hello?" he greeted, then went wide-eyed as he glanced to the others and gestured for them to join him. "Taishou-sama, this is a surprise!"

"_Is Daniel with you?_" came the reply. "_I need to speak with him before you all go to perform in the contest tonight._" A pause. "_Preferably in private. It deals with his heritage._"

His eyes shifted toward the _hanyou_. Did Sesshoumaru know who Daniel's parents were? That was the obvious reason, and at the very least, he would know the identity of Daniel's real father. "We'll send him over right now," he answered before mouthing to the boy that he had best get to Sesshoumaru's room. After hanging up, he turned to the fourteen-year-old and frowned. "Call me as soon as you're finished," he said while they all left the game room. "Something feels funny about this."

His ears were on edge, but Daniel nodded and headed off while leaving his Tetsusaiga with the group. Just what did Sesshoumaru want to speak with him about? And why before the costume contest? If it wasn't very important, couldn't it wait until later?

Best not to ponder. Sesshoumaru was, by all means, now his employer. His parents had called earlier and let him know that Sesshoumaru had paid them a visit to work out the contracts and such. Damn, that man was fast. From what he could gather, Daniel was the first one officially signed, and the only one whose parents had so far been personally visited by the _taiyoukai_ of the Western Lands of Japan. Then again, he was the entire reason this was actually happening.

About five minutes later, he knocked on the room door, and was greeted by the oddest sight; a tiny green creature of a little man, about two feet tall, who was dressed in a business suit and wearing a cap on his head. It took a moment for Daniel to recognize those features and large amphibian yellow eyes. "Jaken!" he exclaimed just moments before the imp ran out and pushed him into the room. "Whoa, you're-"

"You know about Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken replied while glaring at the boy. "You know what you are, and yet you doubted my existence! How ignorant and-"

"Jaken! That's enough."

The imp turned and bowed to his lord, then scurried over to stand by Sesshoumaru's side. That earned him a swift kick had him crashing into the bed. "Sesshoumaru-sama..."

The _youkai_ lord said nothing to his vassal. His attention was on Daniel. "I suppose you are wondering why I have called you here," he stated while moving toward the closet. Daniel quickly moved aside. "You no doubt were informed by your parents that all arrangements have been agreed upon, and the contracts signed." A pause as he pulled out a box which was bound shut by a series of sashes. Now walking around to the bed, he set it down and gestured for Daniel to open it. "While the costume you're wearing now is a well done one, I think perhaps this would better suit you."

He blinked, unsure what to think of this. Surely, Sesshoumaru hadn't had his new costume made already. And the box looked old, not to mention the sashes that tied it shut. He carefully undid the bindings, then slowly lifted the cover to stare in shock. If this was what he thought it was... "I-I can't accept this," he said, stuttering as he set down the box lid. "This has to be hundreds of years old, and if it belonged to who I think it did-"

Sesshoumaru held up his hand. He had to consider how to word this carefully. Daniel wasn't ready by any means to know who he really was, not yet. "Consider it a loan for tonight," he replied softly. "You resemble my late brother enough that it would only be fitting for you to wear his kimono for your first performance."

Oh boy. This was not the kind of situation they needed right now. They'd built their own costumes, it wouldn't be right for him to wear the real thing. "I'm honored you'd let me use this," he stated, almost choking. "But, I think it would be better if I just stuck with what I have now, since the contest is about our own work. I'm flattered, but..."

Sesshoumaru was going to chew him out, no doubt about it. Daniel braced himself for a verbal lashing, but instead, Sesshoumaru merely placed a claw under the rosary and examined it. "I wonder," he intoned while fingering the necklace carefully. "How did you find a genuine subjugation rosary out here in this country?" A smile was creeping across his lips now. "I suppose that Lily would have you by a rather handy leash if she could wield its power."

That was all he needed, to be reminded of how much he was under his girlfriend's thumb. "Actually," he began, then paused, not sure if he wanted to reveal that she could punish him with this damned collar. Better now than later, however, especially if she decided to use it on him for the contest. "She can make me 'Sit'...we still can't figure out how or why, and none of us can get this thing off me."

One white brow went up in response. That was interesting. Lily was obviously no miko, nor was she from any Japanese bloodlines. Kyle, on the other hand, most definitely was. The results of that genealogy check had proven Sesshoumaru's suspicions about the older boy of the troupe, and not only that, a few of his own descendents had married into the Miyamoto family. But why this girl? Clearly, some force was at work here that made sure she and the _hanyou_ before him were a couple.

Daniel was right though. If they were only entering the normal costume contest, then it was rather moot to have him wear the actual fire-rat's fur kimono. Better to let them be judged on their own skills and merits. "We shall wait then," he stated while closing the box and re-binding the sashes. "I advise you return to your friends, since you have not much time before the contest." A glare to Jaken again. "I shall be watching, and I wish you luck tonight."

The boy gulped, bowed, and headed out the door while Sesshoumaru now picked up his imp servant and glared at him. "I told you," he hissed while the _youkai_ trembled. "Do not treat the boy as if he were a common peasant. He is of royal blood, both _youkai_ and human, and you know well that extends to _both_ sides of his family."

The imp rapidly nodded. Mind you, he actually preferred to see when his master was obviously angry. For Sesshoumaru to smile when he should be seething was a frightening sight for Jaken. But right now, he wished he hadn't angered his lord. "My apologizes, Sesshoumaru-sama! It's just that...he resembles your late brother so much that I felt my old habits return."

He released his hold and dropped the imp to the floor, where Jaken landed with a hard _thud_. "Make sure there are no disturbances tonight," he ordered while he went to prepare himself for watching the contest. Something a bit more casual than normal, but not too casual. Yes, that would do perfectly; virgin linen, white button down silk shirt underneath and canvas deck shoes on his feet. He frowned as he glanced in the mirror at his hair, then snapped out his cell phone and made a quick call. Having taken his true humanoid form last night had also undone some of the styling work he'd had preformed before coming to this convention. Fortunately, his hair stylist was very able to make long distances in a matter of seconds.

And moments after he hung up, the brown haired kitsune appeared in his room. "You really have a talent for messing yourself up," she intoned while seating him and breaking out her tools from the bag she'd worn around her shoulder. "Honestly, you pay me enough to make sure it looks right, and then you go and let it fall to pieces."

"Not now, Gin," he stated calmly while she went to work redoing his hair. She was like this, and for a _youkai_, his stylist had very much adopted the human obsession with fashion. Half the time, she tried talking him into wearing his hair in a braid since he insisted so much on having it this long. Obviously, he'd bluntly refused. Haut couture was one thing. He'd always kept up with the fashions of the time, but there was still a sense of tradition to his tastes. However, some _youkai_ were far too fascinated with human culture at times. Besides, he had to keep some features hidden, like his ears. Too many people with that trait was going to raise questions, and there were limits to his shape shifting abilities. "I don't have much time before I am due to watch the contest."

A brow went up while Gin was spraying his hair with water so she could get it styled better. "The _hanyou_ kid?" she asked, now giving his hair a thorough brushing. A few snips to get rid of those split ends. His hair used to be such a nightmare to fix when he'd first employed her services. Knots like nobody's business, hordes of split ends, it was amazing it managed to look decent. She'd fixed that. "He's cute, but a bit young for my taste. Should I use the sakura scented spray, or the strawberries?"

"Scentless will do, it's just a costume contest." Hm, that was another thing. It would be a good idea to have Daniel get his hair fixed up. It had the length, but no doubt it was a horrible mess. Plus, he'd have to arrange for a new wardrobe. Those children would be expected to make formal appearances, since they were going to be in a very public spotlight. Perhaps the Mermaid Ball at the hotel near his beach house that was in the summer. Best to call his daughter and inform her that she'd be hosting the group come July. Blair should be back in the Americas by then. Not that he counted on the changeling doing anything underhanded with Ayumi, but it was a note of importance for the free room in the condo. No doubt Daniel and Kyle did not own tuxedos, that ball was a very formal dress affair. He'd have to have them measured.

_Snip, snip_. "That girl he's attached to is rather pretty," the kitsune remarked while using the thinning cutters and making sure that she erased all the hair that was falling to the floor. "They seem quite happy. Is she part of the performance group as well?"

A slight nod. He knew how seriously Gin took her work, and even if he was very much her superior in both business and racial standings, he knew better than to irk a woman's wrath, be they human or _youkai_. "I felt it best to not break their group up. The older boy, Kyle, is a relation of mine through marriage as well."

There was a sound of approval. Sometimes, Sesshoumaru had to remind himself that Gin was still a youth by _youkai_ years. She'd grown up in this human world, saw them almost as her equals because she'd been raised in their realm. She'd even come to the Americas for study before she'd gone into the profession of being a stylist and fashion advisor. No wonder she was so fascinated by the humans. "I think I've seen him before. He's from the Miyamotos, right?" A satisfied smile as Sesshoumaru nodded. "Thought so. I met him when I was going out with one of his cousins. Nice boy, but a bit of a horndog."

Yes, much like his ancestor. "I'm not too happy about that aspect of his," came the disappointed statement. "He and his girlfriend are being a bad example to the younger portion of the troupe."

Gin shrugged and got to spraying in some Rave X6. The whole bottle should be enough to keep that hair in place, unless Sesshoumaru decided to take on his true humanoid form again. That really tended to throw all her work out the window, regardless of what she did. "Sure you don't want the scenting?" she asked again while packing up her equipment. "By the way, teenagers will be teenagers, they can't help that nature made them to be humping like rabbits."

That was very much expected. Gin had, after all, grown up in the modern culture, where sex wasn't such a taboo thing outside of marriage. He'd learned to adjust to the idea, but Sesshoumaru still held to some traditions. If only his more recent children could do the same. At least Daniel and Lily were shy about it, when the boy wasn't in heat. Thankfully, that was something they only had to worry about during the full moon.

"That will be all for now," he stated while standing up and smoothing down his suit. "I'll drop a bonus into your account for your troubles. Also, make some time clear this week, since I'll be having the group see you sometime after the convention. We'll be returning to Japan around Wednesday."

A nod and a bow as she slung her bag back onto her shoulder. "I look forward to it," Gin quipped as she vanished in a puff of blue fire.

Jaken was busy contacting certain individuals to make sure that nothing occured to disrupt things tonight. He didn't really count on anyone being foolish enough to attack a human gathering of this size, but with Daniel's presence, it was better to be safe than sorry. And two _youkai_ lords in one place was a rather tempting target to the right people.

An hour before the contest started. The group was probably sitting in the green room right now, getting briefed on the rules and such. He had time for a light dinner. Perhaps the hotel restaurant was still open.

* * *

God, it was getting hot in there. Fortunately, flannel tended to breathe rather well, so Daniel was very thankful for that fact in the construction of his costume. They'd gotten the briefing already, and now they just had about half an hour before they started heading out to the stage. Photos were being taken by some of the big cosplay sites, people were talking, exchanging contact info, the usual things to pass time.

He and the other had already been posing for almost a dozen pictures already in the time they'd been waiting. There'd been a few girls who made a pass at him, only for Lily to growl angrily in his defense. Had this been back when they'd first seen each other again, he'd have been a bit bothered. But, she was his girlfriend now, and she was more than entitled to protect her property, as Kyle had so lovely put it at least once. On the upside, he was required to do the same for her when other guys started trying to make with the sweet talk. That made sure he reacted like his character perfectly; baring his teeth and giving a deep growl from in his chest, flashing those claws...one would almost think he really was getting a bit jealous.

"Down boy," Kyle quipped after Daniel had finished scaring off one prospecting cosplayer. "We don't need you biting their heads off yet."

That earned him a razzing. "I'm only doing my job," the boy replied while shifted his Tetsusaiga on his shoulder. Truth be told, he was starting to understand why Lily was so possessive of him. He was hers, and she was his, little questions to be asked. Of course, there was this damn collar around his neck...

"Holy crap! You pervert!"

That would _not_ be Kyle, since most times, he was expected to do butt grabs. As the five turned to see what was going on, they saw a tiny man dressed in loose clothing hopping away from one of the girls. Was that a _bra_ in his hands! And he couldn't be more than two feet tall! It wasn't Jaken though, even he wasn't stupid enough to break his cover. Wait a minute, that looked like...

"Happosai?" the boys muttered in unison. Either the man was tiny enough to pull of one hell of a costume, or there was more to Rumiko basing her mangas on real events and people than they'd thought.

He halted, looked around as if responding, then quickly leapt away just as a pair of girls made a dive for him. The tiny man was lithe, that was for sure. That is, until he found himself with Daniel's fist firmly planted in his face. "_Itai!_" Rub, rub. "Now who would strike the great _Sensei_ Happosai, Master of Anything-Goes-Martial Arts?"

Pint size neck of dirty old man, meet clawed hand of one very disturbed _hanyou_. "I should have figured you'd be real," Daniel hissed to the old man. He pulled the bag off of Happosai, then handed it over to the girls who were now running over to retrieve their belongings. "Give me a minute with the freak, then you can go at him."

_Squirm, squirm_. "Didn't your parents teach you to have respect for your elders, boy!" the little man snapped while Daniel and his group took him to a corner. "I'll have you know that I-"

"You're a rotten little perverted freak, that's what you are!" came the angry retort from the _hanyou_. Wait, something smelled odd about this tiny man. _Youkai_? He'd gotten the scent from Sesshoumaru and Kitsunebi enough times to recognize what a _youkai_ smelled like, but why was it on Happosai? Speaking of which, what the hell was this little shriveled flea of a man doing here at an _American_ convention? Okay, the answer to that should have been obvious; the female cosplayers. But how'd he get here?

_Bite._ "Ow!"

Happosai smirked as he landed on the ground, but was quickly caught by Kistu in the form of a large dog. "Disrespectful cretins, that's what you all are," he growled while looking around for any other way out. None. Well this was going to prove difficult. "Just like that Saotome boy and his sister, don't have any respect for your betters and elders! I should teach you all a lesson right now and-"

"And what?" Kyle now grabbed Happosai by the neck and lifted him up. "Anger the _Taiyoukai_ of the West, _Inu no Taishou_ Sesshoumaru?" Hm, good. The little freak was starting to look worried. He knew of Sesshoumaru, that confirmed the _youkai_ scent from him. "We work for him now, Happosai, and I doubt he'd appreciate you attacking his new performance troupe before they'd even had their first public appearance." Now an evil gleam was in his eyes and he pulled the _youkai_ closer. "Not to mention, Daniel here is an _inu hanyou_, just like Sesshoumaru-sama's brother."

Well, that was enough to scare the little man. He stopped struggling finally, and Kyle took the chance to hand him off to Daniel. "What do you want me to do so that you won't tell him?"

Hm, that didn't sound like Happosai at all, if his memory of the anime held true. And since he'd been watching some of Ranma 1/2 just last night, Daniel's memory was rather fresh. Happosai was planning something. "How about you bugger out of here, or we tell both Lord Sesshoumaru _and_ Lord Kistunebi." Now the little demon was scared. One _taiyoukai_ was scary enough, but two of them in the same place? Not even this freakish lecher was going to risk that kind of wrath. "And no tricks, Happosai. I know plenty about you from Miss Takahashi's manga, so I know you're planning something."

Toss and punt. It felt good to give that little demon a kick right in the butt and send him flying to the main doors. Quite a few girls were cheering him for that one, and most likely, the staff thought that Happosai had been a plushie or something. The end result was that the little freak was out of there. Man, did it feel good to get that anger out. That or he was starting to get a little too much into character, what with the attitude he'd picked up ever since he'd started hanging around with these people.

There was the call that the contest was starting. Best to get back to their seats and wait to be sent into the back halls to the stage. They'd worked out a bit of a little skit, and of course, it involved him getting planted face first into the stage. Lily insisted that she'd make it up to him, but right now, he wasn't too sure the pain was going to be worth it. At least after tonight, he'd have a chance to find out who he really was. But for right now, he had to be InuYasha, he with the attitude problem from Hell.

This was going to hurt.


	17. Chapter 16

Seven-thirty now. He'd managed to get a bite to eat before joining the audience in the main events hall, though Sesshoumaru wished that they was a decent sushi restaurant in the area. As it was, he missed the old world meals when going out and about, making public appearances and such. Sometimes, being the head of a multi-national conglomerate wasn't all it seemed cracked up to be. Such was the price of maintaining a position of power in the human world.

There were Kitsunebi and his sons, no doubt here to watch his youngest on stage. That was a _youkai_ Sesshoumaru still did not understand, even after the three hundred years since the little kitsune boy Shippo had become the _youkai_ lord of the south. Then again, many surprises had come in those five hundred years since his own youth. Namely, he'd garnered a respect for humans, for their desire to survive and their ingenuity. Sometimes Sesshoumaru wondered why quite a few of them hadn't been born _youkai_.

Half an hour though through the contest and the group still hadn't appeared. Granted, there were a lot of people to go through, and many very well done costumes, although some of them...best to leave that unsaid. Still, he had that announcement to make, particularly before the judging started.

Something odd, a strange scent. He tilted his head, sure he recognized it, but he couldn't quite remember. It wasn't one he knew should have been there, however. It was definitely some type of _youkai_, but something was off about it. If only he could...

Of all times, _now_ Daniel and his friends went up on stage, after the announcement of the group's members, the costume designers, and characters. Better to watch and observe while mulling on that smell in a moment. It was getting stronger. Wait a minute, he knew that scent. "_Oni_," he whispered just as he turned towards Kistunebi, who also had that expression of shock on his face. Having smelled that freak Happosai was one thing, Kistunebi had warned him Myoga had sensed that rotten pervert of a demon. He was just an annoyance, but there was no reason at all for _oni_ to be here. Damnit, hadn't he told Jaken to make sure nothing happened?

"If there are any lovely ladies who would like to bear my children-"

"Would you spare them, monk!" Well, Daniel was certainly trying to live up to his image. "We don't need more of you running around, one is bad enough!"

There. Something was crawling about, like a shadow across the back of the stage. Definitely _oni_, one of the _kage_ variaty if he recalled. But he hadn't seen _oni_ make such a move in centuries, why were they risking everything now? One answer came to mind; two certain _taiyoukai_ who were attending this convention.

There was a gasp as that shadow began to rise from the stage, taking shape behind the group while they continued their skit. The gods help them, Daniel had no idea about how to fight with his real power. Sesshoumaru stood and glanced to Kistunebi. Someone was trying to destroy everything that they had worked for in the last three centuries, to hide their kind from the humans at large. The shadow was forming into tentacles, now slithering about while people started to scream.

Jaken was going to get an ear-full for this breach.

"Daniel!" he cried just as the boy finally turned after realizing something was behind him. One large tendril came up and lashed around the boy's leg, pulling hard and slamming him to the ground. Now, the entire room was in a panic, people screaming out, some calling for the police, others racing to escape. Who would send a _kage oni_ here, and why? No one was foolish enough to make an attack on two _taiyoukai_, no matter how much of an irresistible target it was.

Well, there was someone screaming out "demon!". The jig was up, might as well do his part to contain it. Too bad it had to be like this. "Kistunebi!" he called to his fellow _youkai_ lord while pushing his way through the crowd. "We have to subdue that oni!"

"I'm on it!" the kitsune cried. Already, several people were pushing their way towards the stage. No doubt, they were part of Kitsunebi's own private security force, being they smelled of fox spirit. "Gin, you know what to do!"

One lithe silver haired woman shot out of the crowd, drawing out a set of taser weapons that were built like tonfas. A pair of strikes, and the creature was driven away from Daniel, who was now being dragged away by his friends. Good, that meant that he had his own clear shot once the kistune woman was out of the way. His disguise vanished, his claws coming up as the _oni_ swat Gin away and made a beeline for the teenagers. So, it wasn't the _taiyoukai_ it was after; it was the children. But why?

No time for questions now. He clenched his fist, then, snapping his hand out flat, a long glowing ribbon of yellow light erupted from his claws. "You have offended the Lord of the West," he growled while he stepped before the group of children. "Who sent you!"

The shadow halted only when Sesshoumaru snapped that ribbon like a whip. It let out a hiss, then reshaped into the form of a very ambiguously handsome male with long black hair that reached down to its waist. "Who sent me is none of your concern," the _oni_ growled while now shaping his left arm into a pole of blades. "The hanyou is my target, so get out of my way, and this shall end more peacefully."

To say nothing of the fact he'd just blown three hundred years of a masquerade just for one _hanyou_. "You have disrupted this gathering," Sesshoumaru replied, now speaking as calmly as was possible. "You have exposed our kind, you fool. We have spent three hundred years maintaining our veil, and in three minutes, you have totally destroyed it just for the assassination of a simple _hanyou_?" Now a brow went up, expressing both disappointment and disgust. "Your master is indeed a great fool. I will have to go to a great deal of trouble to arrange for this event to be wiped from the humans' memories."

The _oni_ growled, then surged forward at Sesshoumaru. A single snap of his wrist cause the ribbon at his claws to lash into the oni's side, but the creature simply shadow-shifted and melded into the ground. An instant later, it was bursting up at him from the floor.

Something came between those blades and his body. It was now shattered, pieces of ivory colored plastic raining about while the broken shaft of it pushed the _oni_ back. Daniel was standing there, looking at the broken prop in his hand, then dropping it and flashing out his own claws. He took a very defensive stance, clearly revealing his years of disciplined training. The question now on the _youkai_ lord's mind, however; did he know how to use those claws he had?

"Stay out of this," he ordered. Daniel refused to move. Indeed, he was his father's son in that respect; a stubborn child. "Daniel, you can't fight him in your current level of ability, nor do you have anything to protect you."

A flash of his teeth and he still refused to move. "I know what I'm doing," he said clearly while shifting a foot forward, readying himself. "And it's me he's after."

"Danny, would you listen to the _youkai_!" Kyle hissed when he finally ran over and grabbed the hanyou by the back of his costume. "You are not InuYasha himself, you can't do what he can yet!"

He growled, then finally conceded, allowing Kyle to pull him away. The older boy was very surprising good at being the voice of reason at times. Sesshoumaru readied his left set of claws while Kistunebi assumed what the _inuyoukai_ knew was a battle form of sorts that kistune had developed in the last century. "He has a decent arsenal of skills in the human fighting arts, but the boy is not ready for this kind of fight yet."

"I've already gotten the call to our human allies," Kistunebi stated while his own security team joined them. "They'll be here to do memory scrubs and put things as they were before this."

Yes. Their human allies. Interesting group they were, known to the public as a urban legend called "men in black". They made sure that the mask of the _youkai_ stayed in place, being that those lords like Sesshoumaru had cut deals with many the world's governments; they helped maintain the masquerade, and in return, the _youkai_ aided in advancements and funded secret projects.

"You informed them of the exceptions, correct?"

"If you mean our little pack of pups," the kistune replied while the _oni_ lept toward them. "Yes, they know to leave them be."

Good. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes now that all the formalities were taken care of. Time to teach this _oni_ why one did not offend the _taiyoukai_ of Japan or break the masquerade.

* * *

They'd been herded away from the rest of the guests by Chris himself, who had insisted that they stay separated from the normal humans. "Sesshoumaru's called in a special unit to get things cleared up once he and Fox Fire take care of that thing." Something fell down from behind them. Two silver automatics were whipped out from under his red coat and fired the instant a second _oni_ leapt forward.

"Holy shit!" Kyle exclaimed, now staring in shock at the smoking ends of Chris' firearms. "You've been packing this whole time!"

His ears twitched, nose flaring as he caught a scent. "Only since tonight," he replied while leading the five down the hallway to safety. "Jaken gave me the call that Sesshouaru was suspecting trouble. Considering I've been a target a few times due to grandpa's association with Sesshoumaru, I learned not to go anywhere without my boys." Now his eyes went narrow like a cat about to pounce. "There's still one more _oni_ around here." He turned a corner, then was struck hard, sending him crashing into the wall while his guns hit the ground. The third _oni_ came about swinging viciously as Daniel, who quickly deflected most of the blows, but his arms were starting to get cut up from those claws. The sleeves of his costume, however, were now completely ruined.

A hard kick hit the creature. It screamed out while backing away, and Chris kept his leg up to reveal the knife blade that had been stowed in the sole of his boot. "I go for every detail," he muttered just before jumping up and bringing a wicked spin-kick slamming into the _oni's_ head. The moment it took the demon to get back up was all he needed to drop down, grab his weapons, and pump a series of rounds into its body. Now the group could see why he treasured these autos; the ammunition had a very acidic effect on _youkai_.

"You have weapons designed to kill spirits like this!"

A snort as Chris led them down the hall once more, now stowing away his weapons under his coat while tapping the side of his mirror lens sunglasses. Come to think of it, they were not the pair he'd worn last night as Vash, and despite the obviousness of the coat being part of the Vash costume, it looked noticebly different. "_Youkai_ and their cousin races have been killing each other just as long as mankind has done the same. Sesshoumaru is the one who designed the ammo I use, he's the main supplier of the American _youkai_ counteraction squads here in the US." He was sniffing again, but now, his stance was more relaxed. "You might know them as men in black." As they came to a secure spot, he sighed and finally took the chance to tap that same spot on the frames of his sunglasses. "Lord Sesshoumaru, we're safe. Whoever arranged this attack sent a couple more _oni_, but they're dead. Have the MiBs clear up the back halls to get rid of the bodies."

"_What about the children?_"

With a smile as he checked Daniel's arms, he let out a sigh and tapped the switch again. "They're good. Danny got a bit scratched up trying to help me out, and his costume is ruined now, but he's a _hanyou_, it'll be gone by tomorrow."

There was a squelch from the compiece. "_Take them back to my room and have Daniel change into the old kimono I have in there._" A pause as some more static came over the comline. "_Kistunebi and I didn't get anything out of the main oni, but our would be assassins have been thwarted, and the governmental units will be keeping watch for any further activity._" There was a belch of static, and then Sesshoumaru's voice returned. "_And Blair-san...good work. If you ever need another job..._"

"I'm fine doing what I do now," he stated, though there was a grin on his face. Yeah, he'd impressed the _youkai_ lord of the West, that was for sure. "But, if the voice acting industry ever goes down the hole, I have your number." _Tap_. He turned back and noticed a couple of men in black uniforms approaching, quickly pulling his hair up to let them know that he was a changeling. "You guys get the _oni_ cleared up?"

One of them nodded. "We've already gotten most of the convention neuralized so they won't remember a thing." He glanced to the teenagers with Chris. "These the ones we're to leave alone?"

A nod as he let his hair come back down over his ears. "I'll make sure you guys get a nice amount of funds from Caliburn," the boy stated while now leading his charges toward the elevators. God, MiBs creeped him out, even if he'd dealt with them a few times already. Crack commandos, trained as assassins and every one of the field agents was proficient in weapons that were designed to kill spirits. Thank god his family had never gotten on their bad list.

Now heading up in the elevator to Sesshoumaru's room, Chris sighed, pulled his shades off, and wiped the sweat from his brow. "That actually had me scared when he caught me off guard like that," the young man admitted while glancing to Daniel and the shreds that had been the sleeves of his costume. "Thanks for back there, Danny. Too bad all the work got diced."

Yeah. Sleeves little more than ribbons dangling from his arms now. Looks like they'd be using the kimono Sesshoumaru had after all. "This sucks," he muttered while now pulling off the costume top. "Who the hell sent those...whatever they were?"

If only he had an answer to that question. "We still don't know," Chris replied as the elevator stopped and let them out on the second floor. Now heading through the hall, Chris pulled out a small black card from under his coat and slipping it into the electronic key lock. A series of lights flashed on the card, and the confirmation light on the lock blinked before he pulled the card out and opened the door.

"Code cracker," he explained while letting the five into the room. "Yet another present from Sesshoumaru." Chris took the chance to looked about for any sign of something that shouldn't be there, then, satisfied, opened the ancient box and handed the fire-rat fur kimono to Daniel. "Get changed, and make it fast, we need to get you kids back out there." He paused while Daniel and Lily head back to get him into the kimono. "Sesshoumaru's had the contest list altered, you guys are gonn'a just go up for his announcement about the performance team." Yeah, they were a bit disappointed now, but they recognized that it was better to be safe than sorry at this point. "The MiBs did full wipes of your skit and the attack, so as far as anyone will remember, it was from one group to the next. That gives you guys time to calm down and go back out there to be presented by Sesshoumaru."

It took a few minutes, but Daniel and Lily came out from the bathroom, the boy now clad in the genuine article of fire-rat's fur. He was blushing nervously, while Lily simply gave him a slap on the rear. "Stop being like a little kid!" she quipped while they glanced toward the rest of their troupe. Kistu took his chance to leap up onto Daniel's shoulder again. Damned if these five didn't make the perfect look-a-likes of the cast. "We should get back down there, shouldn't we?" Lily inquired. Chris could hear the tremble in her voice. Considering they'd just escaped an _oni_ attack, she was no doubt still abit scared.

"You've got me and one of the government's best trained _youkai_ counteraction squads to keep an eye out for trouble," he said while slipping his sunglasses back on. "That's not counting our _taiyoukai_ themselves." Now smiling as he opened the door and gestured to the hallway, Chris was quick to give Stephanie a slap on her butt as she walked by him. "Kyle, I still say it; you are one lucky bastard to have her."

* * *

With the rest of the contest having gone along as if nothing had happened, thanks to the work of the special unit who even now was station in locations around the hotel to make sure nothing else disturbed the convention, Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and stood up after the judgings were made and prizes handed out. It was now time for him to make that rather important announcement.

"Thank you," he intoned as he accepted the mic and looked out at the audience. The United States special _youkai_ unit certainly had made sure no one remembered the attack, and made them all think that the contest had gone on uninterrupted. He'd have to drop them an extra bonus in the funds he supplied. No doubt, Chris had already promised them something in his grandfather's name. "I'm honor to be here again, since I have a rather exciting announcement to make. No doubt, a few of you have already heard from the party involved, but still, I would like to make this official." He glanced off stage to the five. That was their cue to get ready. "Some time ago, Takahashi-san and I discussed the idea of a performance troupe to promote the InuYasha manga and anime. The idea was originally dismissed due to the difficulties pertaining to whomever would be performing as the title character. However, that is not so anymore."

With a motion of his hand, Sesshoumaru gave the children their cue to head up on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen," he continued as there was a bit of an applause for the five. "Starting next week, these five will be the official performance group for Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha. Kyle Miyaoto as Miroku..." A loud roar as the boy stepped forward, bowed, and did a quick act for the benefit of the audience. Well, he certainly was a showman, that was definite. "Stephanie Morgan as Sango."

Another thunderous roar and round of cheers while the girl gave a florished bow, now twirling her boomerang over her head just to show off. She'd obviously been practicing with that thing, even if it was made of foam and tape. Very talented girl. "Kistu Kistunebi as Shippo."

The little kistune hopped out into the spotlight, very much acting like his father at that age while the crowd went crazy. There were quite a few cries of how "cute" the _youkai_ child was, and when he decide to try and looked tough, standing all proud on the stage, almost everyone started laughing. "Lily Bennett as Kagome Higurashi."

Jumping forward, Lily gave a very exaggerated bow, which resulted in her skirt flipping up and gaining quite a few catcalls in addition to the applause. Seeshoumaru didn't have to hear that growl to know that Daniel was bristling. Best get him out there so that he would calm down. Speaking of Daniel, they'd need a new Tetsusaiga for him, after what had happened to his previous prop. That could wait, though.

"And Daniel Stevens, as InuYasha."

He gulped, his ears twitching as he took that step forward to be greeted by the massive roar and cheers. Was this really what everyone thought of him? People were cheering for him, accepting him for what he was. This was what he wanted, to be seen for who he was, not what he was. Schoolyard bullies and _oni_ assassins be damned, he knew where he belonged now, and he was enjoying it.

And finally, Daniel shifted out into ready combat posture, getting a massive cheer while the cameras began snapping pictures. For once, it felt good to show off what he was, he was enjoying the attention. And when the rest of the group gathered around him, Kistu on his shoulder while Lily was hugging his arm, Daniel couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be than with these four people.

Now, he only had to think of what tomorrow would bring. ooo


End file.
